


Fog on the Window

by VoidEntity999



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Boys In Love, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, Implied Smut, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn, Smut, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Werewolves, lycanthropy, minor gore, reference to violence, trans headcannon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-08-29 09:59:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 98,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16741861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidEntity999/pseuds/VoidEntity999
Summary: A messy series of circumstances leads Vladimir Vladimirovich from his life in the city at his soul crushing desk job to the pastoral countryside of Stardew Valley.Featuring:-A cute romance-Some mystery solving via the local Scooby gang: Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail-Rising tensions





	1. Out of the City

The morning light of the sun peeked over gray tops of the dingy city buildings. The pale rays brushed the face of the boy, all of twenty-something years old. A grown-ass man by someone else's standards. He grimaced as the light disrupted his sleep, and shielding his face with his naked arm, he could see he was only in his shorts. He leaned back and sighed, pressing into the crooked branches of the hedge around him. He lie there for a minute, his breath condensing in the cold morning air. 

It won't be so bad this time, he told himself. It can't be. Not like last time.

He pulled himself up, staggering a bit as he towered over his feet. Catching his breath, he took a few steps and tripped, nearly falling to the ground with his foot caught on...another foot?

Shit.

He cast his eyes upon the mangled corpse, and immediately shut them. Running his fingers through his loose dark hair, he looked around, scanning for further  
casualties. On the far end of the lawn, a woman's wrist was visible from behind the base of a large tree. A studded bracelet glinted in the light. And that was just one. 

He made his way to the edge of the park, dragging his feet along the dewed grass to remove any traces of blood. He liked this park. He could never come back. 

***

The metal grate steps echoed in the stairwell as he made his way up to his apartment. He took one glance at his front door before knocking on the neighbor's, located across the hallway. It opened with a creak. 

"Ah, Volodya," said the old man, dressed in a robe and slippers. "I was wondering when you would get in. I heard you go out last night."

"Yeah," said Volodya, rubbing his face. "Key?"

The old man slipped the metal key off its peg and handed it to him. "There you are."

Volodya turned to unlock his door. He tossed it back, neglecting to see if the man had actually caught it. "Thanks Nick," he mumbled. The key clattered to the ground before Nick picked it up and slipped it into the pocket of his robe.

Stepping into the dingy flat, Volodya grabbed a shirt from the top of the laundry hamper at the foot of a faded folding couch. He had it halfway over his head when he heard the door close behind him. "Woah, whoa, I didn't say you could come in," he said, pulling it down his back. Nick had already made his way to the kitchen. 

"Are you hungry? Have you eaten at all?" 

"No, I--" Volodya's voice trailed off as he closed his eyes, trying not to remember the bodies he had seen earlier. "I'm not hungry."

"I'll make you a sandwich. You can save it for lunch."

"Fine." He plopped down on the sofa, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just after seven. Have you checked the news?" Nick took a jar of peanut butter down from a near empty kitchen cabinet.

"No, why?" Volodya craned his neck back toward the kitchen. Seeing Nick raise his eyebrows, he picked up the remote and started flipping through channels. Noise blasted from the old relic of a TV. 

"Keep warm this winter with-- Joja Mart has all your needs-- bodies found on the scene at-- and we're looking at low winds from the east--"

"Go back," Nick called. 

Volodya flipped back to the channel where a camera scanned over the park, "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS" tape marking the scene. A news correspondent continued to narrate. 

"Police suspect the attacks to be of animal nature, but for the moment nothing can be confirmed. Now, I'm here with Maria Sanchez, who was out walking her dog when she first discovered one of the victims. Maria, what was it that you saw that first told you something was wrong?" The newswoman held a microphone to another woman, obviously shaken by the scene. 

Volodya sighed, picking up the remote and turning the tv off. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nick asked, coming into the room holding a sandwich on a plate. 

"No. You know I never remember anything," Volodya said, eyeing the plate. Nick handed it to him and he took it, glanced up at the old man before taking a bite from the peanut butter sandwich. "Last night I was just on my way out to get some pretzels from the corner store."

"And it seems you got sidetracked," Nick said. "Anyway, don't let me bother you. Have a nice day at work." He left out the front door. 

"Thanks, mom," Volodya muttered, his mouth full of bread. 

***

Work was uneventful for the rest of the week, Volodya's soul-sucking desk job at Joja Corporation, LLC turning a normal week with distinct days into one blur of monotomy. Every morning he woke up, asking why Joba why was the sun shining in his eyes again, and pulled himself out of bed to gradually come to an awake state, sitting in front of the TV, hunched over instant coffee and instant oatmeal. He took the train to work, where he sat as his desk, following the strictly scheduled procedures of filing reports, answering phone calls, and checking emails. He ate lunch in the company breakroom, which was spartain in decor: no windows, fluorescent lights flickered from above. After eating his usual sandwhich, he grabbed the handful of envelopes that had been sitting in his mail slot and headed back to his cubicle. 

Volodya breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped off the platform of his stop close to the outskirts of town. One more week had passed. He dragged his aching feet up the steps to his apartment and knocked on Nick's door. The old man answered, a mug of tea in one hand. 

"Here you go," he said, giving Volodya the key. "By the way, a girl came by earlier, looking for you."

Volodya slipped his key into the door and unlocked it, his brow furrowing. A girl? What girl would come to see him? "What about?" 

"Didn't say," Nick said as Volodya returned the key to him. "I told her you were still at work."

"Do you think she'll come back?" Volodya asked quietly, but before Nick could answer, they heard the sound of heels coming up the steps. 

"Volodya, there you are!" the young woman said, standing her small rolling suitcase and running to throwing her arms around him, pressing his face over the shoulder of her red wool coat. Her lipstick was a shade of red to match, and her hair was pulled into an elegant french twist. Volodya rolled his eyes. She pulled away. "It's been so long, hasn't it?"

Volodya didn't answer. He remembered the email she had sent him a few days ago, and had immediately ignored. 

Nick stepped forward. "Excuse me, is this lady bothering you?"

"Nope," said Volodya. "Nick, meet my sister, Ira." 

***

Ira followed Volodya inside, carefully setting down her suitcase and taking off her shoes. Then, after looking around the floor of the tiny apartment, she put them  
back on. 

"I see Joja is treating you, erm...well," she said, pulling a chair out from the kitchen table. "Do you have any tea?"

Volodya had just finished changing out of his ill-fitting button up shirt into a faded sweatshirt. He headed into the kitchen. "No, I'm out." 

"Such a host," she said, wiping a thin trail of dust off the table with her finger. "Your only sister comes to visit, and you'd think you would have cleaned up a bit."

Volodya slammed the cupboard shut. "Could you just get to the point and tell me why you're here?"

"What, you don't think I wanted to see you?" She watched him fill two glasses from the sink.

He handed her a glass of water, his face unable to hide his doubt.

She took a gulp. "Okay, fine. Well, you heard how grandpa died."

Volodya nearly dropped his glass. "What? Grandpa died?"

"Yes," she said, folding her arms. "I think I mentioned it in my email?" 

He thought back to the email he got from her. He saw it right after he had clicked through a whole page of emails from work, deleting twenty "remember to submit your annual report"s and "fill out the satisfaction survey"s and "donate toward so-and-so's cancer"s before seeing hers, reading the subject and deleting it. 

"Oh...yeah," he said, his voice trailing off. 

"Right, well," she said, rummaging through her purse, "We found his will, or what we thought was his will, and..." she pulled out the envelope and handed it to him. 

"You'll see it's quite sparse."

He took it and unfolded its contents, a simple letter. He read aloud, "To my dearest granddaughter Irina, I wish for you that someday you will live a happy and fulfilling life. Good luck. Yours, Grandpa." He looked up, unable to hide his laughter. "Good luck?"

She grimaced. "Yes, it's very funny, now give it back." She swiped it out of his hand.

"I mean, what did you expect, Ira? He was just some hermit living on a farm in the middle of nowhere."

Ira frowned. "You say that, but we have no idea what he could have had. Maybe he was rich! What did he say in his letter to you?"

"What letter?" Volodya asked, his expression neutral. 

"You mean you didn't get one?" Ira took another sip of water. "He would have sent it while he was in the hospital."

"Wait, you don't think..." Volodya realized as he remembered the stack of junk mail he had thrown out earlier that day. "You think he could have left me his money?"

Ira looked out the small kitchen window. The sky was dark, but not much could be seen other than the brick wall of the building next door. "If he didn't send you a letter, then it couldn't have happened."

Volodya set down his glass. "Uh, Ira....he did send me a letter."

Ira immediately stood up. "What? Why didn't you say so?"

He looked down. "I may have...thrown it away at work. They might have taken out the trash already. The office closes at seven, so if we leave now, I guess we could--"

"Let's go, then!" she grabbed his coat and tossed it to him.

"Okay," he said, catching it. He looked at the clock on the microwave. "The next train is at 6:14 but--"

"No, I'll call a cab." She was already pulling out her phone. 

"What?! But the train costs almost nothing!"

"Volodya, don't you see what's at stake? I'll pay for it. Hello?" She talked to the company on the phone as he reluctantly put on his coat and shoes. "Okay," she said, hanging up. "They'll be here in five minutes."

***

The cab pulled up to the office building just as the night guard was locking up. Volodya jumped out as Ira finished paying the driver.

"Jim! Jim, hold the door!"

The guard looked up, surprised to see him.

"Jim," Volodya said, panting. "I left something in the office; don't you think you could let me in for a bit?"

"I don't know, I kind of want to get home to my kids. It's been a long day," he said.

"Please? Ten minutes, tops," Volodya pleaded. 

"Fine," said the guard, unlocking the door.

"Thank you so much," he said, rushing into the vacant lobby. Ira hurried in after him. 

He pressed the button for the elevator, and Ira tapped her foot impatiently. 

"What floor is it?"

"Oh, it's on the third--" He threw his hands up as she pushed open the door to the stairwell. "Fine." He followed her.

The lights turned on as they entered, motion sensors. He walked straight for his cubicle, which Ira would have had no way to find by herself in the labyrinthian structure of the place. He knelt down and dumped out the contents of his trash can onto the floor. Ira showed disgust at the number of junk food wrappers. 

"Onion-o's? Seriously? Joja cola?"

"Here it is," he said, holding up the envelope, addressed to him in his grandfather's handwriting. "Okay, let's go."

"What? You're not going to open it?!" Ira complained. 

"Jim's outside waiting for us to leave. Duh, Ira," he said, stuffing it in his inner coat pocket. She rolled her eyes. 

Once they were out in the cold again, Volodya pulled the letter out, and immediately, Ira snatched it out of his hands. "Hey!"

Her eyes eagerly skimmed the contents of the letter, her brow furrowing upon reaching the end. 

"What?" asked Volodya.

She put a hand to her face, sighing and giving a humorless laugh at once. "He's not giving you any money. He's just giving you 'the farm'." She waved her hands. "Congratulations."

"...Thanks," he said as she handed the letter back to him. Slowly, he held open the paper and read it for himself. 

***

"And then she was like 'Fuck it, I'm getting a hotel, because I'm not staying here,'" Volodya said the next day, sitting at Nick's kitchen table with a cup of tea while Nick cut vegetables in the kitchen. "She's such a snob. I picked up all my clothes off the floor! You know that's more than normal for me?"

Nick nodded, giving a laugh. "She seems like quite the character. Though I don't remember seeing her at your aunt's funeral." He pushed the vegetables into a pot on the stove with a knife. 

"No, that's pretty typical of my family. They've been avoiding me since...well, you know what it's like." Volodya sullenly took another sip of tea.

"Your aunt was a good person." Nick sat down across the table and poured himself a cup. "What are you going to do about the farm?"

"I don't know." Volodya twirled a spoon around in his cup. "Ira says we might be able to sell it, but who knows how much we'd get for it." He put the letter on the table and slid it towards Nick.

The old man put on the spectacles that were hanging around his neck and began reading the letter. "...I've enclosed the deed to that place. It's located in Stardew 

Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life."

"I don't see what the point is, him leaving me that," Volodya wondered.

Nick looked up slowly, putting down his cup of tea. "Volodya, don't you see? This could be a real opportunity for you."

"What are you talking about? What would I do on a farm?"

"You're saying you love your job at Joja Corp," Nick said, taking a sip of tea. 

Volodya grimaced and looked away. "Well, no. But what are you saying? I can't just...just leave, there's that barista at the coffee shop around the corner who always knows my latte order, there's...the lady at the post office that gives me an extra stamp," he racked his brain trying to come up with more reasons to stay.

The old man set down his tea. "I know you're resistant to change, but moving out to the country could do you some good. Unless you want to keep appearing in the nightly news."

Volodya looked at him sullenly out of the corner of his eyes. He was right. A secluded area like that, maybe he would be better off?

"Well," said Nick, "if I were you, I'd give it some thought before deciding to sell that place." A hissing noise sounded in the kitchen. "Oh, that's the soup," he said, standing and returning to the stove.

***

The brakes of the bus hissed as the vehicle slowed to stop. Volodya grabbed his backpack and stepped off, his lungs shocked by the crisp spring air, untouched by the great smog and cigarette smoke he had become accustomed to in Zuzu City. He was immediately greeted by a hardy looking middle-aged woman, her red hair pulled back in a practical fashion.

"Hello," she said, "You must be Vladimir. I'm Robyn, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He's there right now, tidying things up for your arrival."

Volodya said nothing, but slowly nodded once. Looking around, he was almost blinded by how green it was. 

Robyn continued, "Your farm's right over here if you'll follow me."

Volodya followed her down the quiet country road. Birds softly chirped in the trees. Finally, the road stopped at the edge of the property, a modest cabin punctuating the stretch of land, a marsh-like area overgrown with trees and other vegetation. 

Robyn noted his silence. "What's the matter? Sure it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication, you'll have it cleaned up in no time."

A kindly old man appeared from the front door of the cabin. "Ah! The new farmer," he said. "Welcome. I'm Mayor Lewis of Pelican Town."

"Hi. Volodya, nice to meet you." They shook hands.

Lewis smiled. "You know, everyone's been asking about you. It's not everyday someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal!"

Volodya looked away slightly, scratching the back of his neck. He hadn't really come here to be the center of attention.

Lewis put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Happy farming!" He and Robyn started back towards the country road. 

"Thanks," Volodya called out after them. "And thanks, Robyn!" 

She turned and gave a wave before leaving. Volodya looked out over the porch once more. He certainly had his work cut out for him. But it was different than his job at Joja. Here he was at the feet of nature; he had no boss, no schedule, no dress code, no morning commute. He was free. He felt a smile forming on his face as he walked inside. He kicked off his boots and climbed into bed, taking the best long rest he had had for some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this awhile ago and I finally got around to posting it. I hope you enjoyed it; I have a few more updates and a lot more story planned, so it will depend on me finding the time to write it :p
> 
> EDIT: I'm removing the explicit scenes from this fic lmaoooo. In a radical act of self preservation I'm keeping some things close to my heart for safekeeping ;)


	2. Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Volodya settles into his new community, he encounters a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't leave you guys hanging after the first chapter, which was entirely backstory, so here you go. A bit more character development with the characters you actually know. I don't know when the next update will be.

Bells clinked against the door of Pierre's shop as Volodya entered. His t-shirt showed sweat stains from a morning of hard work, clearing weeds and planting the handful of parsnip seeds Lewis had been kind to leave him. 

"Welcome to Pierre's!" A voice called from across the store, where a neatly dressed man in spectacles stood behind the counter. 

"Hi," Volodya said, looking around. 

"Looking for seeds?" Pierre said. "Aisle 4. We just got some in. And as always, they're of top quality."

"Thanks," Volodya said, making his way toward the aisle to his right. He looked at the wide range of seeds on that were in stock, carefully weighing his options. 20g, matures in 4 days. 80g, matures in 12 days, 60g, matures in 10 days, but keeps producing after that...there were too many options. Maybe it was worth buying the more expensive seeds, if he could sell them for more--

"Vlad? Is that you?"

Volodya looked up suddenly at the sound of a familiar voice. It was a youngish man about his age, sporting a varsity letter jacket. "Gridball camp '08, remember?"

"Alex?"

"Yeah! Hey, man," Alex approached him, his face a handsome smile as he patted Volodya on the back. "It's good to see you. What have you been up to? What brings you to town?"

"Not much," said Volodya. "Just moved onto my grandpa's farm. 

"Oh, you're the new farmer!"

"Yeah," Volodya said, holding up a handful of seed packets. "I'm trying to figure out what to plant this season."

"Wow," Alex said, looking at the shelves packed with seeds. "Must be a lot of work."

"Yeah, man, for sure," said Volodya, running a hand through his hair. "I guess I should get back soon."

"Well, it was good seeing you." Alex waved and looked towards the door. "Hey, we should hang out sometime."

Volodya looked up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," said Alex, "I haven't had anyone to toss around the ol' gridball with. I live just around the corner. You should come over sometime."

Volodya stood with his mouth slightly ajar. He blinked. "Um, yeah, that sounds great, actually."

Alex smiled, and gave him another pat on the back. "You're alright, Vlad." He walked toward the door, finally turning and pointing back at him. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Volodya called back.

"Alright. See ya." And with that, he left. 

***

Volodya's feet dangled off the dock as sea waves crashed on the shore below. He cast out another fishing line and waited, furiously reeling in the line as soon as it went under. The end of the rod was pulled left and right, and finally sprang back as the line broke. Volodya stood up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Bright orange rays made their way across the sky as the sun began to set on the horizon.

"Lost it, did ye?"

He turned around to see the old fisherman leaning against the door to his shop. 

"Keep practicing. Ye'll get the next one. Plenty of fish in the sea."

Volodya raised an eyebrow at the old man, a gleam in his eye under the shadow of his ragged cap. 

"Yeah, okay," said Volodya. Gulls sounded over the waves. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. It was the cabin at the other end of the beach, a man emerged from the front door. "I thought that place was abandoned."

"What, ye seen a ghost?" the old man laughed. "Tha's just Elliot. Some writer type, moved in from the city a couple years ago to work on his novel. I guess we all got to make a livin'."

Volodya watched the tall man make his way across the beach towards town. Didn't he have something to do in town today?

"Crap, Alex!" Volodya grabbed his fishing rod and stuffed it in his pack.

"Ye got somewhere to be?"

"Yeah," Volodya threw the backpack over his shoulder. "See ya later, Willy." He gave a salute and ran back up the dock. 

"See ya, kid."

***

The sky began to darken as Volodya hurried through town, trying to remember where the house was. He passed the one trailer house for the second time and realized he was going in circles. 

"Vlad!"

He turned around, and Alex was standing there, tossing a gridball to himself. He threw it to Volodya, who caught it with ease.

"Hey."

"Hey, man," Alex said, stepping towards him. "I almost thought you weren't going to show."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got kind of turned around." Volodya tossed the gridball back to Alex.

Alex gave a laugh. He held the gridball under one arm and put his other on Volodya's shoulder. "It's too dark to play gridball. Want to come inside?"

The inside of the house was full of peeling wallpaper, doily-covered chairs. The smell of a home-cooked meal wafted in from the kitchen, and blue light from the television flashed in the living room, where Volodya could see an old man parked in his wheelchair. 

"Come on," said Alex, and Volodya followed him to the end of the hall into the modest bedroom, the wallpaper gridball-themed, of course. Alex sat down on his bed. 

"Make yourself at home." He tossed the ball to himself.

Volodya looked around the room, eyeing a small stereo set. "What kind of music do you listen to?" He picked up a CD. 

"It's mostly just stuff I work out to," said Alex. "I've gotta stick to my morning routine."

Volodya nodded, looking at the set of well used weights in the corner. He sat down in a chair opposite Alex. "So you're still keeping up? The whole 'going pro' thing?"

"Yeah man, that's the goal," Alex said, tossing the ball once more. 

Volodya sat back. "Good for you, man. I kind of let myself go, working my old desk job back in Zuzu." He looked up and noticed the ceiling was covered with posters of buff sports athletes. 

"Yeah," Alex said, sitting forward. "So what's been going on with you? You're a farmer now?"

A soft knocking could be heard at the bedroom door. "Alex?"

"It's my grandma," Alex explained. "Come in!"

A sweet old woman appeared at the door. "Alex, would your friend like to stay for dinner?"

She and Alex looked at him expectantly. "Yeah, sure," said Volodya. "Thanks."

The woman smiled. "It's almost ready. I'll give you boys a holler."

"Thanks, Grandma," Alex said, flashing a quick smile, and she closed the door again.

"She seems nice," Volodya remarked.

"She really is," Alex said. "Her and my grandpa, I owe a lot to them. I'm going to pay them back when I make it big in gridball."

"Yeah?" Volodya put his hands behind his head. Outside the window, crickets began to chirp in the darkness.

***

Alex wheeled his grandpa into the dining room as the four of them sat down to dinner. Grandma Evelyn set the plate of salmon down on the table.

"I made your favorite, sweetie."

Alex couldn't hide a smile as he forked a large portion of it onto his plate. "Thanks, Grandma."

She smiled sweetly and turned to Volodya. "So, dear, I hear you're the grandson of that farmer who passed away. I didn't get the chance to speak with him much, but he seemed like a nice man."

"A man like that's always working," Alex's grandpa George cut in. "Don't have time for much when you're working on a farm. At least, that's what my pops was like before I left to join the army."

Volodya looked up from his plate. "Uh, yeah, I didn't know him that well, either. I've been trying to fix up the farm."

"I bet that's a lot of hard work," Evelyn said. "You're probably been so busy you haven't met everyone in town yet."

Volodya took a bite of salmon. "Yeah, I've been busy learning the ropes. Just today Willy was trying to teach me how to fish."

Evelyn nodded. "I bet you haven't met Alex's girlfriend, then. She's quite the charmer."

Volodya raised an eyebrow at Alex, who put down his fork having scarfed down most of the contents of his plate. 

"Yeah, she's...she's nice," Alex said quietly. "We're really just friends. You'll probably meet her if you come to the saloon on Friday. Half the town shows up. You know, why don't you come and we can grab a beer together?"

"Friday? Sure." Volodya took a bite of salad. "Um, where is it again?"

"At the Stardrop Saloon, right in the middle of town. Hopefully you won't get lost again," Alex said, grinning. 

Volodya suppressed a smile as he forked at the food on his plate. "Shut up," he said, almost too softly for anyone to hear.

***

Metal clinked against rock as Volodya swung his pickax in the mine. After retrieving a handful of copper ore, he stood and wiped the sweat from his brow. His breath was nearly visible in the cave's cold air, and in the back of his mind, he heard the faint buzzing of insects. 

Instinctively, he grabbed for his sword. An old and rusted hand-me-down from the fellows over at the adventurers guild, but it was enough to get the job done. He steadied the blade, looking around for the source of the buzzing. He heard it grow louder once more, and turned on his heel to see the giant moth, dive bombing straight towards him. He jumped to the side, quickly dodging the attack, and then readied a strong stance to take on the insect when it would return. He saw its beady red eyes in the darkness and grit his teeth, finally slicing it down the middle with one strike. 

Volodya wiped the dust from his hands and checked his watch. The day had grown late, and he remembered he told Alex he would meet him at the saloon. He began breaking the rocks nearest to him; one more ladder and he would reach an elevator.

A few broken stones later, he found himself on another floor next to the elevator shaft. He threw the circuit breaker and the panel lit up. He called the elevator and fended off a lone slime until the door opened. On the ride up, he wiped dust from his face and saw the grime it left on his fingers. He hoped this saloon wasn't such an upscale place.

After finding the place he had passed by enough times in the days before, Volodya entered the crowded bar filled with laughter and music. He scanned the faces of its patrons before he saw Alex call to him at the end of the bar.

"Hey! Vlad!"

Volodya approached him and Alex patted him on the shoulder. 

"Hey, man," said Alex. "What've you been up to?"

"Not much," Volodya said, as Alex signaled to Gus to bring two more beers. "I've been working in the mines."

"I can see that," Alex said with a laugh. His smiling gaze remained on Volodya as a young woman with long blonde hair appeared beside him.

"Alex," she said, "Who's your friend?"

He didn't answer at first, but she gave his arm a gentle squeeze and he blinked. 

"Oh, hi. Vlad, this is Haley. Haley, this is the new farmer, Vlad."

Haley gave a wave. "Nice to meet you."

Alex immediately turned his attention back to Volodya. "So you've been to the mines? What's it like down there?"

"Well," Volodya said as he took a sip of the beer Gus had just handed him. "It's dark, for one."

Haley gave a laugh. "He's a funny one, isn't he, Alex?" She tapped his elbow affectionately.

Alex's face was full of interest. "So what do you do? Do you have a flashlight or something?"

"I found this glow ring," Volodya said, holding out his pinky, displaying the small yellow band. "It's not ideal, but it gives off enough light to tell when there's a bat after you."

"That's so cool," Alex said, looking at Volodya's hand. "Is it really dangerous?"

"It can be, but I haven't had problems so far." Volodya gave a pensive look. "Although one time the other day I found myself hiding in a corner eating nothing but these little carrots you find in the walls, until finally I had enough energy to get back to the surface."

"Wow," Alex said.

"So, have you met everyone in town?" Haley said, changing the subject, although Alex gave her a look like she had rudely interrupted Volodya's story.

"Not really," Volodya said, eyeing them both. "I've been kind of busy getting the farm in shape."

"Well," Haley said, her smile radiating girlish charm, "You'll want to get to know them before the dance on the 24th. You're going to come, aren't you?"

Volodya looked back at Alex, who was nodding. "Uh, sure."

"Good." Haley looked pleased with herself. She started looking around the bar. "Now we just have to find one a girl for you to ask. There's quite a few single girls around town."

Volodya raised his eyebrows and took a sip of beer. 

Haley moved to his side and grabbed his elbow. "You've probably talked to my sister, Emily? Adorable blue hair, over behind the bar?"

She waited for him to glance back at Emily, who was talking to Gus and filling a glass from the tap. He nodded and she continued.

"Over there, that old woman who practically lives here? That's Pam."

"She looks like a nice girl," Volodya said.

Haley laughed. "No, I meant to say she has a daughter, Penny. There he is, joking around again. Alex, where did you find him?" 

Alex blinked. "It's kind of a coincidence, but we were in a summer camp some years ago."

"Oh really? Sounds like a riot." She grabbed Volodya's shoulder and looked over to the corner of the bar. "That's Leah, over there. She's an artist, lives out in the woods. She and Elliot are practically inseparable, though, so it might be tough. Hmm....there's Dr. Harvey. If you've ever been in the clinic, you'll have met Maru; she's a nurse there."

He glanced up. "Oh, no, I haven't been in. I figure that's a good thing."

Haley laughed. "Well, that's about it."

Volodya nodded, his gaze shifting towards the far corner where a couple young guys were playing pool, a girl with purple hair watching them. The dark haired kid looked like he had just scored and made a fist, while the other one in kind of punk clothes was throwing his hands up in defeat. 

"What about them? At the pool table?"

"Oh them?" Haley said. "They're not really worth mentioning. Abigail is...well, she's Pierre's daughter. But she's a bit weird."

"They all are," Alex added. "I don't think you want to get mixed up in that crowd."

Volodya frowned, but returned his attention to Alex and Haley. Alex was still grinning at him with a vacant stare. Haley tugged at his sleeve.

"Babe, me and Em are going shopping in the city tomorrow. Do you think you could drive us?"

Alex didn't answer right away. He snapped back to reality on the second tug. "Oh, sure. I mean, actually, I was thinking me and Vlad could toss around the old pigskin. What do you say?" he said, elbowing Volodya in the side.

"Mmm," Volodya said, taking a sip of beer. He set down the mug. "Don't let me keep you. I have more mining to do anyway, and we can do that any time."

"I'll have to hold you to that," Alex said, making finger guns at him. 

"As long as you get me something nice when you go shopping in Zuzu," Volodya said, folding his arms.

"Really? What?" Alex said, casting him an earnest look. 

Volodya's mouth hung open for a second. "I was joking," he said in a lowered voice.

"He did it again," said Hayley, elbowing Alex in the side again. "So funny."

Alex broke into a smile, giving a few laughs. 

Volodya smiled nervously.


	3. Spring Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volodya and Alex spend more time together.

The sky was an eggshell blue as Volodya emerged from his home one morning. Fitting, as today was the Egg Festival. He checked the letter sent to him by Lewis the previous day. 9 a.m. He had a few hours.

After watering his crops, he set to work clearing some of the overgrowth around his farm. Once he stopped to catch his breath, he noticed a structure deep in the forest. He picked up his ax and began chopping away. A few hours and he reached the outcropping, a small statue. It looked oddly like...his grandfather? As he ran his fingers along the edge of the shrine, a cold wind blew through the air. He looked up at the sky and remembered--the Egg Festival! He dropped his ax and hurried into town. 

As he reached the town center, a crowd was gathered. Volodya made his way to the center of the circle to see some of the kids standing before the mayor, whose expression changed upon spotting him. 

"Oh, Volodya! Nice to see you made it," Lewis said, suddenly alerting everyone to his presence. "We were just about to start the egg hunt."

"...Okay," Volodya said, taking in the noticeable silence of the crowd. 

"You will be joining us, won't you?" Lewis asked, flashing a friendly grin. 

"Oh, right." Volodya glanced around awkwardly and stepped forward to stand between...well, that's Maru, the nurse at the clinic, and the purple haired girl? He'd seen her around. 

"Now is everyone ready?" Lewis asked. "Let the egg hunt begin!"

He blew on a silver whistle and all the contestants dispersed in every direction, rushing to find the eggs hidden around the landscape. Volodya picked up a basket, picked a random direction, and sprinted. 

He soon found himself searching the bushes behind the minimart. He reached under a shrub and pulled out something round. A pinecone? He tossed it aside in disappointment. He sighed and looked up, when something caught his eye--a green egg hidden in the nook of a tree branch. Yes! He reached and put it into his basket. 

He searched around the area, keeping his eyes turned upwards for more eggs. He quickly spotted another in the tree behind Alex's house. He rushed towards it, and retrieved it without much difficulty. He came around the back of Pam's trailer, studying the trees, when suddenly he felt himself collide with something warm, and squishy, and bony. Someone, to be exact. 

"Ow, fuck," said the purple haired girl as she stumbled backwards into the grass. 

"Oh! Sorry," Volodya said, nearly dropping his basket. He quickly caught one of the eggs before it could fly out. 

"Nevermind that," said the girl, scrambling to make it to her feet, pushing away Volodya when he extended an arm to help her.

He held his arm behind his back and looked away sheepishly. 

"My basket--where's my basket?" the girl said in a sudden panic. She looked around anxiously in search of the vessel.

"I don't know, look, I'm really sorry--"

"Stop talking," she said, putting up a hand. She gasped as she glanced down the riverbank, where a multitude of colored eggs was scattered, some smashed, some floating down the river at an unrecoverable pace. The girl eyed Volodya with disdain. "Dammit, I was so close to winning."

Volodya felt like shit. He held out his basket. "Um, here, you can have mine."

Her expression softened. "Oh, you don't need to do that. Really, it's not a big deal."

Volodya gave an apologetic smile. 

"Well, if you insist..." She took the basket from him and a spark of hope flashed through her eyes before she glanced inside. 

"TWO EGGS? Are you fucking KIDDING ME? It's been nearly twenty minutes, and--"

She froze as she heard the familiar sound of Lewis's whistle. From a ways away they could hear his voice. 

"Time's up! Please return to Lewis with your baskets!" 

The girl closed her eyes in frustration. 

"I guess we should head back," Volodya managed after a moment of awkward silence. 

"I know!" she snapped. She turned and headed back to the town center, leaving Volodya alone, as he still held onto his egg basket. 

"There he is!" Lewis called when he returned to the town center. "Let's see."

Volodya gave an awkward smile as he held out his basket for the mayor to count his eggs. 

"Two! Good effort," the man said, giving him a friendly pat on the back. As Lewis moved on to the next contestant, Volodya took that as his cue to step back into the crowd. 

"Hey."

Volodya nearly jumped as Alex put a hand on his shoulder. 

"How'd you do?" Alex asked with a grin.

"Not great, I guess," Volodya said, glancing down at his basket. "I accidentally ran into what's-her-name, and all her eggs fell into the river."

"Who, Abigail?" Alex asked, looking over at the girl he was referring to. "I wonder what's going to happen, then. She wins every year."

"Oh really? Shit, I was just running around a corner, and suddenly her whole basket was gone."

Alex laughed. "We've got to work on your run. Hey, why don't you come to the beach tomorrow? I'll bring the gridball to practice."

Volodya glanced at Alex, with his picturesque, popular kid smile. By now, Lewis was handing first prize to one of the younger kids. He looked back at Alex. "Okay."

"Awesome." Alex punched him in the arm. "I'll show you how the pros do it."

"You're not a pro yet," Volodya teased.

"We'll see about that," Alex challenged. "See you around noon?"

Volodya was pensive. "Sure; that gives me enough time to water my crops."

"I'll see you then," Ales said, clapping a hand on his back before returning to talk to Haley and some other girl. 

***

The sky was overcast when Volodya made it to the beach. A cold wind was blowing that made him zip up his hoodie. He looked around, spotting no one except for a few gulls loitering on the far end of the beach. 

"Vlad, my man!" 

Volodya turned to see Alex approaching him with the gridball. They clasped hands and patted each other on the back as a friendly greeting. 

"How are the crops doing?" Alex asked, his complexion practically glowing. 

"Oh, quite well." Volodya scratched the back of his head. "I just planted some more cauliflower. The kale I planted last week should be ready to harvest soon."

"Kale is good," Alex said, nodding. "I put it in my protein shakes."

"Oh right, you probably have a whole diet," Volodya said as the began to walk towards the shore. 

"It's very strict," Alex explained, tossing the gridball to himself. "But it's important to build muscle if I ever want to go pro."

Volodya stood a distance apart from him and held out his hands. "Ready."

"Ready?" Alex said. He took a few steps back and made the throw. 

Volodya nearly caught the ball, but was distracted as a seagull flew overhead. The ball bounced out of his hands. 

"Almost," said Alex. "Stay focused." 

Volodya summoned what he remembered from camp all those years ago and threw the ball back to Alex. It spiraled through the air, making a nice arc. Alex caught it with ease.

"Nice. You've been practicing."

Volodya blushed. He hadn't been practicing at all since he moved to the city. There were less opportunities, and he was always too tired after working late at his desk job. Alex threw the ball, and this time, he caught it without much difficulty. He threw it back.

"Nice. But you didn't come here just to throw the gridball," Alex said, "I promised I'd teach you how to run." 

"Okay," Volodya said, clapping his hands. "Where do we start?"

"Well, first, it's about how you hold the ball," Alex explained. He stepped toward Volodya. "Let me show you."

Volodya watched as Alex demonstrated a secure grip on the ball under his arm. He handed it to Volodya. "You try."

The farmer clutched the ball under his arm. 

"Now try running in place," Alex suggested. 

Keeping the gridball under his arm, Volodya jogged in place, keeping a wide stance. Almost immediately, Alex swiped a hand at the ball and it fell from his arms. 

"Now that's something to work on," Alex said with a laugh.

Volodya smiled, but his eyes darted around nervously as he tried to pick up the ball again. 

"Just keep a good grip on it." Alex watched as Volodya tried to hold the ball again. This time, it took more force to pull it from his hands. "Better."

They repeated the exercise a few more times. Then, they tried passing the ball to each other, running across the beach. Alex drew a line in the stand, they practiced running while maneuvering side to side over the line. Eventually, they chased each other around the open area, trying to steal the gridball from each other. 

"One more time, I swear I'll get you," Volodya teased. 

"Wanna bet?" Alex said with a grin, clutching the ball in one arm. 

He ran down the length of the beach as Volodya chased him. Once cornered against a mound of boulders, he tried to fake left, but Volodya lunged and managed to hit the ball out of his arms. Volodya began to run with it, but within a few seconds, Alex tackled him. 

"Ach, you're too strong," Volodya chuckled as Alex pinned him down. 

Alex rolled onto his back and laughed. He took a moment to catch his breath, and then quickly stood up. "It's getting late," he said, brushing sand off his jacket. "I should probably head home."

Volodya nodded, still laying on the ground. After some time, he sat up and shook the sand from his hair. "Your grandma probably has dinner ready."

"Yeah." Alex scratched the back of his neck. "This was fun, though. We should hang out again sometime."

"For sure," Volodya said, resting his elbows on his knees. 

"Are you going to walk back to town?" Alex asked, pointing his thumb at the road. 

"No, I was going to get some fishing in before it gets too late," Volodya said. "See you around."

They waved to each other and Alex headed back up the country road. For the rest of the evening, he sat there alone, watching the waves go in and out.

***

Lewis knocked on the door to Marnie's house, checking his watch as he waited too long. He finally opened the door himself, stepping into the empty shop. Suddenly Marnie came into the room, looking flustered.

"Oh, Lewis! You're here already," she said, grabbing a jacket and hurriedly putting it on. "I just went out to feed the animals, and one of my cows is missing."

"Oh no," said Lewis, his face suddenly struck with concern. "What do you think could have happened?"

"I don't know," Marnie replied. "Either way, we should get going. The festival starts in an hour." 

Without saying much, they loaded supplies onto the back of Lewis's truck, parked outside. As they got inside the cab and Lewis started the engine, he finally spoke up.

"You must be worried; it's unlike you to be this quiet," he said as he pulled away from the house. 

Marnie leaned against the window. "I'm just worried. You should have seen the rest of the animals; they were a lot more skittish than usual. I think something scared them. And poor Betty."

"You don't think someone would have stolen her?" Lewis asked.   
"I would hope not," said Marnie. "Who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know." Lewis thought of the townspeople, all kind, genuine people. Of course he hadn't known the farmer very long, but of what he knew of him so far, this didn't seem like something he would do. He had even answered one of his postings on the notice board to take care of slimes in the mine. 

As they pulled up to the edge of the forest, Lewis turned off the engine, surprised to see Pierre running towards them. 

"What's wrong?" Lewis asked as he stepped out of the truck. "Don't tell me your tulips are slightly off color again."

"Lewis, Marnie, I'm glad you're here," said Pierre, stopping to catch his breath. "Someone who can clean up...well, you'll have to see for yourself."

Lewis and Marnie shot each other a curious glance. 

As they approached the open field, Marnie cried out when she spotted the scene in the distance. Lewis ran after her, finding her kneeling next to the rotting carcass of a large animal. 

Marnie wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's Betty. I think a wild animal got her."

Lewis reluctantly patted her on the shoulder in comfort. He studied the remains. "How terrible."

Meanwhile, Pierre stood behind them with folded arms. "Truly. I just came out to set up my flower displays, and this mess was here. Is there some way, if you could, that we can get it cleaned up?"

Marnie stood up, drying her eyes for a somber expression. "Lewis, get the tarp."

***

Volodya woke up to the sounds of nature. Sunlight peeking through the trees, birds chirping. 

He sat up and glanced around what he was able to recognized as the far edge of his property. He felt well, happy even. He felt warm, despite his skin's contact with the damp ground. This is what Nick meant, moving out here. He was safe, and presumably, so was the valley. In a way he felt like he was connecting to his roots, some natural innate part of him that was connected to the soil around him. 

He breathed in the fresh spring air, laying his back against the overgrowth. He opened his eyes, remembering the flower dance.

Volodya got up and made his way back to the farmhouse. He took a shower and put on his clean shirt, ran a comb through his hair before heading out to Cindersap.

The festivities had just begun when he entered the field. The clearing was lined with flowers, and the townsfolk were mingling around the area, children playing tag. Volodya passed by the food table and stopped, realizing he was hungry. He looked side to side to see no one was looking before he picked up the juiciest chicken leg and bit into it. 

"Vlad!"

Volodya spun around and immediately wiped the grease from his mouth as he saw Alex approach him. 

"My man," Alex said, flashing a smile as he put a hand on Volodya's shoulder. "You made it!"

"Yeah, I'm just enjoying the..." Volodya glanced down, suddenly at a loss for words.

"The food? My grandma cooked some of it. It's always good," Alex said, giving a satisfied smile. 

Volodya raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah."

Alex laughed. "I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hey, did you ever decide on a girl to ask to dance with you?"

"Oh," said Volodya, wiping barbecue sauce from his mouth. "I hadn't really..."

"I think Haley said someone had a crush on you," Alex said, lowering his voice.

"Really?" 

Volodya looked around the field. The girl he had run into at the egg hunt, Abigail, was talking to one of her friends, the blond boy from the pub. The nurse, Maru was talking to the doctor from the clinic. He spotted Haley, who paused from practicing her dance moves to wave at them. 

Volodya blinked, his eyes earnest as he stared into Alex's. "I thought we could dance together."

For the entire time that Volodya had known Alex since their reunion, Alex never lost his composure. But now, he fidgeted with his hands, his gaze quickly shifting away. He looked over at Haley and waved to her again.

"Could I talk to you alone?"

Volodya followed Alex to a remote corner of the field. Once they were in the more secluded area, Alex still lowered his voice as he spoke. 

"You know we can't do that. And I have a girlfriend." His expression was serious.

"I know," Volodya said with a shrug. "But that doesn't change the fact that you like me."

Alex was visibly stirred. "I don't--we're just friends," he concluded. "And what happened all those years ago at gridball camp, that was a one time thing."

"Was it?" Volodya contended. "You had feelings for another boy, that was just a one time thing?"

Alex grimaced. For a moment, they shared a mutual silence.

Finally, Alex spoke again. "I don't want to talk about that. What matters is I focus on gridball, and I don't have time for any...anything else."

"So what do you want me to do?" Volodya demanded. "You want me to keep pretending to be your friend?"

Alex was taken aback. "Pretending?"

Volodya rubbed his forehead. "That's not what I meant."

Alex folded his arms. He glanced back at the festival in the distance. "People are going to notice if we're gone too long. I'm sorry, it's just....I'm done talking to you."

Volodya said nothing as Alex walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did happen all those years ago at gridball camp?


	4. After the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being turned down, Volodya is at a loss...until a certain resident ball of sunshine approaches him out of nowhere!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we get to Sam's point of view. I finally got some free time to write this chapter, and I have plans for the next one, so hope you guys like it and thanks for leaving kudos/comments! Mwah!

"Ugh," Abigail moaned as she approached Sam. "That farmer just came to the food table and I had to leave."

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Sam said, munching on one of Evelyn's homemade cookies. "From the way you described it, it sounded like an accident. You're just butthurt over losing to Vincent."

Abigail shook her head. "I just can't believe I had almost won seven years in a row, until that asshole had to run into me. Anyway, is Sebastian coming?" She looked around the area. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Knowing him, he's still in bed," said Sam, pulling out his phone. "I'll send him a text."

"Good. He better show up, otherwise, I don't know who else I would dance with." She folded her arms. 

"The farmer's always an option," Sam teased, just enough for Abigail to elbow him in the ribs. 

"Speaking of the farmer..." Abigail's voice trailed off as she looked back at Volodya. He and Alex were talking by the food table. "What do you think of him? Don't you think he's kind of weird?"

Sam looked in the direction of the farmer and quickly glanced away. "I don't know."

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" She made a small gasp in realization. "Have you even talked to him?"

Sam grabbed his pinky, fiddling with his hands. "I'm sure he's busy with...farm stuff."

Abigail folded her arms. "Are you kidding? You talk to everyone. It's been almost a month since he moved here; how have you not talked to him?"

"He already has plenty of people to talk to, just look at him and Alex," Sam said, gesturing to the pair, which was currently leaving the table to go somewhere else.

"See?"

Abigail laughed. "The way they're walking almost makes them look like boyfriends." She waited for her friend to laugh, but finally glancing his direction, saw the concern and longing in his eyes. Her expression changed. "Oh, no. Sam?"

"What?" He asked, his eyes blinking as he returned his gaze to her. 

"You're not...gay for the farmer?"

A breathy laughter fell from his lips. "What? Abi, no, I'm not gay."

"Really?" She folded her arms. "Are you really trying to tell me that after Full Moon last year?"

"What! That was nothing, that was..." Sam scratched the back of his head. He lowered his voice. "isuckedhisdickokay BUT ABI, that's beside the point!"

Abigail sent him a mean smirk. Full Moon was the bar in Zuzu city where they had gotten a brief gig. The setup was rough, and they didn't have enough songs to make a whole set list. Still, they managed to garner some positive reactions from the crowd, at least, positive enough for Sam to end up in a bathroom stall with a patron. 

Okay, for clarification, Sam wasn't wasted, per se, but he wasn't sober either. He always dated girls in high school, girls he really liked. Sebastian and Abigail knew that. He had no problems with feelings towards other guys in high school, really. Well, now that he thought about it, there was always having to hide after walking through the locker room. But a lot of guys go through that, right?

"Sam!" Abigail hissed. 

"What!" He looked up. "You know I don't think of guys that way. And even if I started to now, my dad could come back from his tour, and I don't want to see what he'll do if he finds out."

"Then now's the perfect time!" Abigail said, shaking his shoulders. "Yoba, all you have to do is talk to him."

Sam hesitantly turned to glance at the farmer, who was still off talking to Alex. He quickly turned back to Abigail. "I can't, he's clearly invested in a conversation with--"

"Is he?" Abigail interrupted. She grinned, motioning with her eyes.

He followed her gaze and sure enough, due to some other worldly miracle (curse?) Alex had left the farmer to stand alone at the edge of the field. He turned back.

"But--"

"GO!" Abigail said, with a push. "I'll be here."

Sam stumbled forward, finding his footing to approach the farmer. He was turned away, so it wasn't until Sam was a couple feet away that he looked up, vaguely surprised to see him. 

"Hey, I don't know if we've met, I'm--" Sam stopped himself mid-sentence as he got a better look at the farmer's face. Thick waves of dark brown hair hid his reddened complexion, a tear hiding in the corner of his eye. The young man quickly caught it before it could call, his deep brown eyes looking up towards the sky.

Sam quickly changed the conversation. "I wanted to say thanks for running into Abigail at the egg hunt.

The farmer furrowed his brows, still holding back tears. "Is this a joke?"

"What? No, I mean," Sam nervously fumbled with the ring on his pinky. A piece of silverware-turned-art from an afternoon he and his friends spent messing around in his dad's shed. "She wins every year, and it's kind of unfair. My little brother Vincent's always bummed when he doesn't win, and he was so excited when he won this year. So really, thanks."

The farmer's posture changed. His wrinkled button-up shirt was a size too big. His jeans were clearly worked in. As a whole, his appearance was oddly appealing. 

"I totally meant to do that." The farmer's expression was almost a grin. 

Sam laughed, suddenly feeling a wave of warmth wash over him. The farmer seemed in better spirits, too.

"I'm Volodya," he said, holding out his hand. 

Sam immediately reached out and shook it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sam."

"Sam," he echoed. Sam didn't want to admit how nice his name sounded on the farmer's lips. "Sorry, I know I've seen you around, but I never said hello."

"That's okay," Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you enjoying the festival?"

"It's...festive," Volodya concluded. "It was brave of Pam to drink most of the punch, otherwise everyone might have gotten too festive this morning."

Sam snorted with laughter. He quickly covered his mouth, something he never did. He cleared his throat. "She does that every year, no matter how Lewis tries to stop her."

Volodya laughed. When the air was quiet again, he clasped his arms behind his back. "I don't know if you saw what happened earlier. I kind of asked someone to dance with me, and it didn't go very well."

"Really?" Sam asked without thinking.

"Yeah," Volodya said with a sigh. "I don't think he'll ever talk to me again. It's probably for the best though."

"That's one way to look at it," said Sam. Again, silence passed between them. In the distance, Lewis made a call for the dance. "Well, I've got to go," Sam said. "It was cool talking to you."

Volodya lifted an eyebrow, mainly in surprise. "You too."

Sam waved before returning to the center of the field with everyone else.

"Abi, you don't understand, he asked Alex to dance with him!"

Sam looked at her upside down as his head hung off the side of his bed. They had decided to hang out at Sam's house after the festival, but Sebastian still hadn't turned up. 

"Yeah, wasn't that obvious?" Abigail said, scrolling on her phone as she sat on the floor of Sam's room. 

Sam sat up and twisted around to look at her. "It was? But Alex is so clearly straight, you'd have to have, like serious balls to ask him to dance. And in front of everyone, too!"

Abigail rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I had to sit out after Seb never showed up. I guess it doesn't matter, I messed up my makeup anyway. I haven't been able to find my favorite mascara."

Sam flopped onto his back again. "I can't believe the farmer's gay...you should have seen him, Abi. The way he looked at me with those eyes! He has these dimples when he laughs. And he's funny, too! I wasn't expecting him to be funny. And he apologized to ME for not introducing himself--"

"Sam!" Abigail cut him off. 

"What?"

She leaned forward on her hands, looking him in the face as he lie upside down. "You're gay for him."

"No, I'm straight," Sam protested, sitting up again. "Isn't it normal for a straight guy like me to think about making out with the farmer?" He said with a playful grin.

Abigail let out a sarcastic chuckle and rolled her eyes. Just then, the door to Sam's room swung open.

"Mom! We're not doing anything bad, I swear--" Sam stopped himself as Sebastian trudged in. "Hey, Seb."

"Jeez, what are you all cranky about?" Abigail pointed out as Sebastian plopped down into a beanbag chair in the corner. 

"Sorry, earlier I...wasn't feeling well."

"Really," Abigail says. "With your diet of mostly hot pockets."

"Whatever," Sebastian said, blowing a strand of hair from his face. "And then I couldn't sleep last night, which is the real reason I came here."

Abigail giggled. "You want to tell us about the anime girl you were up late texting online?"

"That was an accident!" Sebastian defended as his friends laughed. 

"Okay, Seb," Sam said, resting his elbows on the end of his bed. "Tell us about what happened."

"Okay." Sebastian looked around the corner to the door, as though making sure no one could here them. Abigail and Sam took note and duly adopted an air of gravity. "Last night, around midnight, I was out smoking by the lake as usual. As far I could tell, I was alone."

Sam nodded with interest. Abigail similarly lifted an eyebrow.

"Then, I heard this sound, like a deep growl. I looked around, thank Yoba there was nothing behind me, but then I saw across the lake--this shadow of something, over by the mines. It was large, like, larger than a person. I couldn't quite make it out. It got up and ran towards the mountains."

"So what did you do?" Sam asked, gripping the edge of his bed.

"I didn't do anything, I just stayed there. To be honest, I couldn't move, I was terrified. I couldn't sleep after that, that's for sure."  
Abigail folded her arms. "And you were smoking something from your stash?"

"What? No, just cigarettes." Sebastian viewed her unconvinced posture. "Abi, I swear to Yoba, or else I wouldn't be telling you."

"Either way, spooky," Sam said, rolling on his back, looking up at the ceiling. "What do you think it could have been?"

"I don't know," said Sebastian, slumping back into the beanbag. 

For a few minutes, the three of them were silent.

Finally, Sam sat up. "Who wants to order pizza?"

***

Volodya slept late the next day, waiting until the warm light of the sun was upon him. He woke with a start as he checked his alarm clock and saw it was almost noon. Jumping out of bed, he hurried to get dressed so he could start the day's chores. 

Once he had the crops watered, he went to grab his backpack off the porch and head into town. He was surprised, however, to see the empty spot where it usually lay propped against the house with all his tools and supplies. 

Where could it be?

He checked all the chests he had, inside and out, but it was nowhere to be found. He didn't see it in the garden, as far as he could tell. He approached the wooden shipping crate along the road to town. Surely he didn't mistakenly leave it there to be taken away? Before panic could overtake him, he was distracted by the letter sticking out of his mailbox. He opened it.

Dear Volodya,

I was surveying the phosphate levels in the lake when I came across an abandoned backpack. Is it yours? It's full of ores and farm equipment.  
In my hurry to get my samples back to the lab, I took it with me. You're welcome to come by any time and pick it up. The address is 24 Mountain Road.

Sincerely,

Demetrius

Volodya's face reddened. He had indeed carelessly left it somewhere, and he was lucky the person who found it was kind enough to let him know. He was too used to living in the city, where he was constantly losing wallets, bus tickets, jackets, you-name-it, and it then being virtually impossible to recover. He checked his watch. If he headed over there now, he would still have time to get some of the wood harvested that he planned for the chicken coop. He folded the letter into a square wad and shoved it into his back pocket before taking the road north from the farm. 

When he entered the carpenter shop, Robyn greeted him. 

"Hey there, Volodya! Need anything built on your farm?"

"Not yet, but I will," he said, giving a polite smile. "Is Demetrius here? I think he has my backpack."

"Oh yes, he's in the lab." She pointed her thumb to her left. "It's just down at the end of the hall."

"Thanks," Volodya said, giving a curt nod before making his way down the corridor. 

Volodya entered the spacious room with counter space inhabited by various projects. Demetrius looked up from his titration setup.

"Oh, hey, you got my note. I have your backpack right here." He stepped over to a bookshelf at the end of the room where the bag sat propped up on the floor. He picked it up and handed it to Volodya.

"I can't thank you enough," Volodya said, slinging the pack over his shoulder. "I thought I had lost all the work I did in the mines."

"I know what you mean," Demetrius said with a smile. "The other week, I left my algae samples out of the refrigerator too long. I had to start all over again."

Volodya stifled a laugh. "That's too bad. Thanks again."

"No problem," said Demetrius, waving a hand. "See you around, Volodya."

Volodya nodded as he heard voices approaching from down the hall. "Okay, I guess I'll--"

He froze as he turned to see none other than Sam bounding down the hall, carrying a plate of freshly microwaved pizza rolls. He was accompanied by Abigail and another boy he had seen around. 

"Do you really think it could have came from the mines?" Abigail wondered. "From what you said, it sounded too big to have come from there."

"It seemed like it, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't have happened," the other kid argued. "What do you think, Sam?"

"I don't know, it could have been anything--Oh!" his attention was caught as he spotted the farmer. "Hi Volodya!"

A brief wave of panic washed over Volodya, but he quickly calmed his nerves enough to speak casually. "Hey, Sam."

"What brings you up here?" Sam asked him. His friends gave each other sideways glances.

"Just running an errand," Volodya said. As far as he could tell, his voice sounded normal. Not nervous at all. "How about yourself?"

"We're about to play a game of Solarion Chronicles," Abigail butt in, "and we really should get back to it." She linked her arm around Sam's elbow in an attempt to steer him towards the basement. The other kid followed eagerly behind. 

Sam's gaze remained fixed on Volodya. "Do you want to play with us?"

Abigail actually facepalmed. 

The raven-haired companion looked similarly uncomfortable. "Actually," he said, raising his voice, "Solarion Chronicles is really meant to be played by three players.

There's only three player classes."

"Then he can take my place!" Sam suggested without hesitation. "Or two of us could be on a team. What do you say?" He turned to Volodya without further room for input from his friends. 

Volodya stared back at him, his mouth hung open slightly. When he regained his composure enough to speak, he still stuttered. "I-I-I-okay."

"Great!" Sam beamed. His friends eyed each other wearily, but did not protest any further.

Volodya followed them downstairs to a decently sized basement, what appeared to be someone's room. A few clothes (all black) lay scattered across the floor, empty cans of Joja cola on the computer desk, shelf of manga, the smell of Febreeze. Sam set the plate of pizza rolls down on a central wooden table, likely some of Robin's handiwork. The four of them sat down. 

"Sebastian, he can play the warrior and I can sit out," Sam said as his friend opened the game box and began to set up the game board. 

"Aww, I wanted to play warrior," Abigail complained. 

"What are the classes?" Volodya asked, being familiar with general RPG terminology.

"Warrior, healer, and wizard," explained Sebastian. "Each class has its own special abilities and disadvantages."

"I guess I'm more of a wizard," said Volodya.

"I normally play wizard," Sebastian said, lowering his voice.

"Who's going to be healer?" asked Sam. 

"No one ever wants to be healer," Abigail said, standing up to reach for a couple pizza rolls."

"I can be healer, it's no big deal," said Volodya. "Sebastian, you can be wizard."

"I could be healer!" Sam cut in. "Volodya, you can be warrior."

"I thought you weren't playing," Abigail said with a smirk. 

"Oh, I guess I got carried away," Sam said, managing a laugh. 

She coolly sat back. "You guys play. I'll just watch this round."

Volodya looked to Sam, who was still kind of staring at him with a stupid grin on his face. Sebastian just shrugged and began handing out the character sheets. 

Once the game was set up Sebastian began reading the scenario. In the game, the party traveled through a forest until they reached the mouth of a cave. They entered, and were suddenly ambushed by a hoard of goblins. Sebastian cast a spell of confusion, which bought them time. 

"What will you do?" he read in a dramatic narration. He turned to Volodya. "Will you choose to fight or flee?"

Volodya thought carefully. "Well, I'm a warrior, so it would make sense to fight."

"Are you sure about that?" Sebastian said, his eyes wide in anticipation.

Volodya squinted before giving a single, determined nod.

"Alright, then. Which goblin will you attack first? The boss or one of his minions?"

"Uhhhh," Volodya's voice undulated with indecision. He leveled his vision with the pieces on the game board, sizing up his options. He reached toward one. "Maybe--no," he said, retracting his arm. 

"Just pick one," Abigail said, rolling her eyes as she watched from the far end of the table. 

"Careful, adventurers," Sebastian read in an official tone. "One wrong decision and the fate of the quest is sealed."

"Um," Volodya bit the nails on one hand. 

Next to him, Sam coughed not-so-inconspicuously. Volodya turned his head sharply, feeling something brush his elbow. He looked down to see Sam holding a piece of paper under the table. Scribbled on it was "Defend the party."

Volodya looked up, and with an air of confidence, projected, "I choose to defend the party."

"Very well," said Sebastian, turning the page in the guidebook. "Volodya raises his shield and defends the party. The goblin boss lunges to attack Sam, but he is blocked by Volodya's shield. The goblin is distracted for Sebastian to cast his area freeze spell, rending all of the goblins immobile. The party is able to enter the treasure room and retrieve the golden rose."

"Nice!" said Sam. He and Volodya hi-fived. "I knew you had it in you."

Volodya just laughed. "Thanks."

Abigail watched them with a grin. "Wow, good job, Volodya."

Volodya lifted an eyebrow. He turned to Sam. "You can play warrior this time. I'll live to fight another day."

"No, I can sit this one out," Sam obliged. "It's Abi's turn to play."

"Why does this game only have three characters, anyways?"

"There's an expansion pack that I don't have," Sebastian explained. "It was released a few months ago and is still only available in Japan."

"Then why can't we make up our own characters?" Volodya said, his voice raising. "No one wants to play healer anyway, so wouldn't it be better if we just wrote them ourselves?"

Sam's eyes lit up. "Yeah, why don't we do that?"

"The guidebook is written specifically for these three characters," Sebastian contended. "It's not adapted to characters that don't exist yet."

"So? We could adapt it ourselves," Sam said. He turned to Volodya. "What if we added a paladin class to replace healer? Like a mix between a knight and a cleric."

Sebastian opened his mouth to correct him, but it was too late; he and Volodya were already discussing the characters they would write.

"Yeah, we could mix the classes!" Volodya said, making a joining motion with his hands. "If we come up with a hybrid of the existing characters, then it would be easier to fit into the story we already have."

"Okay," Sam said, nodding. "So which ones could we combine?"

"I would want to do wizard and fighter. I think in Oblivion that's called a spellsword?"

"Yeah!" Sam laughed as he turned to Sebastian. "It looks like he improved on your character, Seb. What do you think?"

Sebastian looked horrified. Finally, he spoke in a quieter voice. "I...kind of like the characters we already have."

Volodya turned to Sam again. "He doesn't have to write a new class if he doesn't want to. But maybe we could meet up and work on our characters together?"

"Yeah, I'm free tomorrow," Sam said in an enthusiastic tone. "You could come over to my house?"

"Sure, I can come over in the afternoon. Where do you live, again?"

"Are you two done planning your nerd date?" Abigail interrupted.

The air instantly grew quiet as Sam and Volodya both looked away. An awkward silence passed, and suddenly, Volodya stood up.

"I have some chores to do. Around the farm I mean." He dug his hand into his pockets. "I guess I'll see you guys around."  
He turned to leave up the stairs. 

"Wait," Sam called as Volodya stepped outside of the house. 

Sam caught the door behind him and followed him out, until they were alone under the darkening country sky.

"Abigail didn't mean that. She just meant to tease me for...well, she didn't have to say it that way." Sam grimaced slightly and looked away as he said it. His eyes returned to Volodya's face. "It wouldn't have to be a date."

Volodya blinked, staring blankly at the ground in the distance. Finally, he returned his gaze to Sam. "Would you want it to be?"

Sam scratched the back of his neck. "No. I mean--Yes, but--" He looked uncomfortable. "I'm not gay."

"You just said yes," Volodya said, his lips in a slight smirk. 

Sam's eyes widened, his anxiety apparent with a few loose strands hanging down his forehead. "That's not what I meant! Not that I don't want to go on date with you, like who wouldn't--"

Volodya laughed softly. "How about this," he said, folding his arms. "It's not a date, but it's not not a date."

Sam laughed out loud. "Deal."

Volodya held on his hand and they both grinned as they shook on it.

"Tomorrow?" Sam asked before he let go.

"Tomorrow," Volodya confirmed, but when he didn't let go of Sam's hand, he instead pulled him close to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Sam's face was red as a beet when he pulled away. Volodya gave a quick, calm, "Later" before turning to leave. 

When he was out of sight on the road back to his farm, Volodya let out a deep breath. His mind was racing. Was that the right thing to do? Maybe it was wrong of him to push boundaries like that. Then again, was he crazy for thinking Sam could like him back? It was just a quick peck on the cheek. No one was even around to see it. But that doesn't change if it was significant to Sam. That's it. He would apologize the next time he saw him. Crap, that would be...tomorrow? Maybe it's best to not say anything. Finally, almost home.

Volodya reached the edge of his farm, thinking he could chop a couple trees before the it got late. He reached for his pack and grabbed at empty space, realizing he left it at the house. The whole reason he went there in the first place. And he was going to have to go back.

"FUCK!"

 


	5. Strawberries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Volodya comes to Sam's house for a visit.

"Ach!"

Sam kicked as he jerked awake. Vincent giggled from the side of his bed, holding a feather close to his face.

"Oh," Sam said, rubbing his eyes as he rolled over to one side. Normally he would laugh along to his brother's antics, but he was strikingly tired this morning. Looking at the clock, he saw it was already past noon. Vincent ran out into the hall as he slowly rose from his bed, remembering what had happened the day before.

The farmer. Right when he thought he couldn't be more confused about his attractions, the guy just kissed him. It was only on the cheek, but still. There was no way to describe what it was like. Euphoric. The feeling that kept him up all night, unable to get him off his mind. At around 3 a.m., he had calmed down enough to sleep. The world was feeling rather drab at the moment, and he couldn't even remember the dream he had that caused him to wake up with a mess in his boxers. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and stepped out of the room.

Almost immediately, he ran into his mom.

"Oh, Sweetie, you're up. Do you want me to fix you something for lunch?"

"Hi, mom," he said with a slight smile. "No thanks, I'm just going to take a shower."

"Okay. I'll just leave something out for you."

He watched as she returned to the kitchen. Quickly, he showered and returned to his room to throw on jeans and a band t-shirt. In the kitchen, he found that, true to her word, his mom had left out a plate of leftovers for him to heat up in the microwave. He was just finishing the last few bites when he heard the doorbell ring. He jumped up, wiping this mouth and running a hand through his hair before swiftly approaching the door.

"Hey," Volodya said when he opened it. He looked a bit cleaner than usual, a fresh shirt and mud-free shoes as though he hadn't been working all morning, which was unlikely, Sam had to remind himself.

"Hey," Sam said with a grin as he held up his hand. They grabbed hands and patted each other's backs in a semi-hug. Volodya smelled good, like a forest. "It's good to see you."

"You too," Volodya said with a genuine smile as he stepped into the house. Even though his shoes were clean, he still removed them before following Sam to his room.

He handed the Solarion Chronicles guidebook to Volodya, who began to flip through it as Sam gathered some paper and pencils.

"Do you think we should get some colored pencils to draw?" Volodya suggested.

"Oh! Good idea," Sam said before disappearing from the room. When he came back, he stealthily closed the door behind him. "I nicked these from my brother's room."

"Excellent," Volodya said, flashing a smile as Sam sat down on the floor next to him.

"Where should we start?" Sam asked, grabbing a sheet of paper.

"How about your character," Volodya said. "What kind of stats does he have?"

"High strength, some wisdom for casting spells," Sam considered. "We'll put 100 for everything!"

Volodya laughed. "Sebastian's going to love that."

"Yeah." Sam could feel himself blush slightly when Volodya laughed at his joke. He swallowed to clear his throat. "He could have some charisma, if he's a religious character."

"Like he's some sort of cult leader, yeah," Volodya mused. He lost himself in a trail of thought, when suddenly, he spoke again. "Is that a guitar?"

"Oh! Yeah," Sam said, turning his head to look at the instrument on its stand. "Me and Sebastian and Abigail are in a band together."

"Nice," Volodya said. "Can I see?"

"Go ahead." Sam reached for the guitar's neck and handed it to the farmer. "You play?"

"A little." He strummed a few chords before stopping himself. "I'm not that good."

"No, that was good," Sam encouraged, watching him with interest. "Keep going."

Volodya blinked before returning his gaze to focus on the guitar as he began picking out a tune. Sam recognized the Alt-J song, as though Volodya had just pulled that shirt from his closet. After playing the opening riff, Volodya began to sing in a low voice, his attention still on the guitar.

"Something good, something good tonight to make me forget about you for now.."

Sam listened intently as he began strumming the chords for the chorus.

"Get high, hit the floor before you go/ Matador, estocada, you're my blood sport/ But something good--"

Volodya was silenced as Sam leaned across the floor and kissed him.

Before the moment could pass, Sam opened his eyes again and pulled away. The farmer stared back blankly, and just as Sam was about to speak up and apologize for his sudden outburst, Volodya reached for his shoulder to pull him back to his lips. They tasted sweet, like fresh strawberries. He relished in the moment before finally pulling away, his mouth hung slightly open.

"Sam," Volodya murmured.

"Yeah?" Sam responded, feeling his face grow warm. Similarly, he began to feel a bulge in his pants. Leaning over the floor on his hands, his face was still inches from Volodya's and his deep brown eyes.

The door sounded, and Sam instantly jumped back in the nanoseconds before his mother peeked in. "Sam, did you forget you were going to take Vincent to the playground? Oh," she said, noticing Volodya, still wide eyed and clutching the guitar. "I didn't know you had a friend over."

"Yeah, Mom, we're kind of in the middle of something," he called back.

"Oh, okay, maybe in an hour, then." She politely closed the door. Neither of the boys had time to breathe before she opened it again and walked in. "I don't think we've met; you must be the new farmer."

"Oh, yeah," Volodya said, setting down the guitar and standing up to greet her. "I'm Volodya." Sam stood up beside her.

"Jodi, I'm Sam's mom," She said with a polite smile. "Can I get you anything to eat? Or maybe you'd like to stay for dinner later?"

Volodya's eyes darted to Sam's and back before answering, "No thanks, I have some chores to do back on the farm. I appreciate it, though."

"Sure, some other time."

Sam hoped she didn't hear his sigh of relief.

"Well, then, I'll leave you boys. Don't forget about your brother." She turned to leave.

"Okay mom, I will later," Sam called. She disappeared down the hall without closing the door.

Sam's eyes darted back to Volodya's, and he quickly shut the door. "Sorry about that."

For a split second, Volodya looked uncomfortable, but then his eyes changed. "Some secret police you've got there.

Sam snickered. "That's for sure."

Another silence passed between them as they exchanged glances.

Volodya lifted an eyebrow. "If this was really a date, we'd be going back to my place by now."

"Heh," Sam laughed casually, before springing into action, throwing on his converse.

"Wait, really?" Volodya said, his face displaying surprise, the good kind.

"Shh, or they'll hear us," Sam said, stealthily opening his bedroom window. "I'll watch the door."

Volodya grinned, ducking to step out of the window. He hopped into the bushes below. "Wait," he called back in a quiet voice. "What about my shoes?"

Sam looked around. "Here," he said, tossing one.

Volodya caught it with both hands. "Crocs? Really?"

"There's no time!" Sam said, tossing the other.

Volodya ducked as it flew out the window above him. As he shuffled around the ground trying to find it, Sam jumped down next to him.

"This way, before anyone sees!" Sam said, tapping on his arm and pointing around the side of the house.

Once Volodya was properly equipped with footwear, they snuck through the back yard and down the country road towards the farm. It was a beautiful spring, almost summer day. There was no one around. Volodya grabbed Sam's arm and pushed him against the house, cornering him and pressing his lips into his. Persistent, nagging doubts? He had a few. But he could listen to those later, for now, a pair of rough farmer hands were making their way up the back of his shirt.

Those eyes were staring at him again. "Is this what you want?" Volodya asked, a slight, satisfied smirk on his face.

"Fuck yes," Sam breathed without question. "I mean, is this what you want, too?"

Volodya let go, overtaken by a fit of laughter. "I just put on crocs for you. We're doing this." He leaned in slowly to kiss Same once more, then pulled away. "Inside."

The farmhouse had a modest interior, a small kitchen and cozy wood-paneled living room led into a dim bedroom, save for the daylight filtering in through the trees outside the window.

Sam looked around. "Nice place."

 

***

Sam awoke to the sound of birds chirping, a golden orange light piercing his eyes as it shifted in through the window. He rose slowly, rubbing his eyes, his mind gradually arriving at where he was, who his body was pressed against.

The farmer was fast asleep, his head tilted back at a comical angle, his mouth open with a bit of drool escaping as he lightly snored. It was cute; Sam couldn't help but smile.

"Kh!" Volodya made a guttural noise as he suddenly woke up. His half-open eyes glanced around the room briefly before landing on Sam. "Oh, hey."

"I guess we dozed off," Sam said with a grin.

"I guess we did," Volodya murmured. He ran a hand through Sam's hair. "Who are you?"

"What?" Sam's eyes widened. He couldn't tell if Volodya was joking, or if in his naivete, he too quickly believed that this meant something. "Don't tell me you don't remember."

Volodya stared back at him with a stone cold expression. For a second, a chill ran down Sam's spine in realizing he was serious, only to relax again as laughter percolated from the farmer's lips.

"I went through a dark period of bars and hookups when I lived in Zuzu. Glad to say that's over."

"Oh." Sam looked away, slowly rolling over and sitting up, resting his elbows on his knees. "I get it. We can pretend like it never happened."

"Well, I haven't kicked you out yet, so..." he heard Volodya's voice over his shoulder. "You can come back any time you want."

"Right," Sam blushed. "I was dumb to--I should have known this was just sex."

An air of silence against fell against his back.

"Sam."

His head instantly turned. That voice saying his name, it had become his new favorite sound, regardless of whether or not he wanted it to be.

Volodya breathed another laugh. "We never finished our character sheets."

Sam dove to throw his arms around the farmer. Volodya eyes widened as he was caught off guard, but then he stretched his arms around Sam to return the favor. For a while, they just stayed like that, sharing each other's warmth, listening to each other's breathing.

Finally, Sam pulled away, grinning. "Don't you have some chores to do around the farm?"

"You mean besides this?"

Sam burst out laughing. "This is exactly what you meant when you told my mom you couldn't stay for dinner."

Volodya smiled, a few loose strands of hair covering his eyes. "I guess I should let you go," he said finally.

"Yeah..." Sam's voice trailed off. He stood up and searched the floor for his jeans. He picked them up, pausing to look back at Volodya, who was watching him with a look of curiosity, stretched across the bed in a pose that was accidentally seductive. "I don't really want to leave."

"Really?" Volodya said, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Your mom's not going to come looking for you?"

"No?" Sam guessed. "At least, I don't think she--"

He paused as his phone buzzed in his hand. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket. "Did you and your friend leave the house? His shoes are still here" she had texted him. He went to type an answer, and the three dots appeared. "Do you want me to bring them over to the farm?" she sent.

His eyes widened. "Fuck!" he said as he began frantically texting her back.

"What's up?" Volodya asked casually.

Sam sent her a quick text and began to hurriedly pull on his underwear and jeans. "Actually, I have to go."

Volodya yawned. "Okay."

While Sam was getting dressed, Volodya slipped out of bed and pulled on some boxer shorts. He went to close the window as a cool breeze filled the room.

"Is it cold outside?" Sam asked, tying one shoe.

"A bit. You need to borrow something?"

Sam looked up. On his upper body, Sam was only wearing a T-shirt, the hairs on his arm raised. "That'd be nice."

Volodya walked to his closet, looking pensive. "Here," he said, tossing him a plaid flannel shirt.

Sam caught it with both hands. It was hardy and soft. Warm. "Thanks."

Volodya walked to the kitchen and started filling a pan with water. Sam followed him, pulling on one sleeve of the shirt.

"Shit, what am I going to tell her about why I came over?" Sam said, scratching the back of his neck.

Volodya put the pan on the stove, turning on the burner to boil the water. He picked up an open Tupperware container filled with strawberries that was sitting on the counter. "Take this," he said, handing it to Sam.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Tell your mom they're fresh."

Sam stood in the doorway, eyes blinking, a smile growing on his face. Volodya placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in to give him a kiss. Sam drank him in, completely at a loss for words when Volodya pulled away, took a strawberry from the container in Sam's hands, and bit into it with a grin.

"See you around, Sam."

***

That image of Volodya, still only wearing his boxers, eating a strawberry, remained imprinted in Sam's mind as he sat at dinner with his mom and his brother.

"That was nice of him to send us strawberries from his farm," Jodi said, setting a bowl of them on the table and taking a few for her plate.

Sam reached and took one for himself. When he bit into it, he remembered what had been hours before when they kissed for the first time, the sweet taste on his lips.

"You're being awfully quiet, Sam," his mother remarked. She took a bite of mashed potatoes. "I hope I didn't embarrass you in front of your friend. You looked like you were discussing something important." She leaned towards him. "Like which girls you like in town."

"Yeah, mom," said Sam, quickly returning his attention to his plate.

Jodi laughed, covering her mouth. "You can tell me. I remember being your age."

Vincent set down his fork. "Mommy, you're old."

"Vincent!" she scolded. "That's not polite."

Sam laughed, feeling an ease in the tension that filled the air.


	6. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long week of work, Sam wonders if Volodya's offer still stands. With guitar in hand, he heads for the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excuse me, I've got a delivery here for you, the reader, did someone order 1000 pounds of fluff? Just sign here and tell the guys where to put it, and we'll be on our way.

As spring turned into summer, Sam spent most of his time working. His boss had asked him to pick up extra shifts at Joja Mart while Shane was out of town. He spent long hours mopping the floor and restocking shelves, feeling like a zombie under the fluorescent lights. When he got home and collapsed on his bed after working six days in a row, it took him no time before he was up again. There was only one person he wanted to see. One person he wanted. 

"You can come back anytime you want," the words echoed in his head. 

Sam threw on his flannel shirt, which, in the summer warmth had garnered strange looks from Sebastian and Abigail the last time he had seen them. "Isn't it a little warm for flannel?" He packed his guitar in its case, and headed towards the front door. 

"Sam, are you going out?"

He turned to see his mother standing in the hallway. 

"Uh, yeah," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll be back soon. Well actually," he cut himself off, watching her smile fade. "I don't know when I'll be back. Don't wait for me for dinner."

"Are you sure?" She showed concern. "Where are you going, to be out so late?"

"Just to a friend's house. Sebastian's," he said. He smiled apologetically. "I promise I won't be out too late."

She folded her arms, looking dissatisfied, but not disapproving. "Okay. Have fun, sweetie."

"Okay mom. Bye!" He gave a quick wave before heading out the door. On the front porch, he had to laugh to himself. Have fun? They certainly did the last time. 

The sky had a rosy glow when he reached the farm. He walked up the steps of the porch, ready to knock on the front door. He rapped a few times on the screen, and upon hearing nothing, peered into the dark windows. Of course Volodya wasn't home. 

Sam looked out across the property. Rows of summer crops were planted, a few sprinklers running. He noticed there was a chicken coop off to the side of the house, and in the distance a line of trees, with a few creeks running in and out of the landscape. In the sunset hour, it all looked so picturesque. 

He waited another minute, checking his phone briefly. He slid it into his pocket and picked up the guitar, thinking he might as well go eat dinner at home. 

"Sam!"

He spun around and saw Volodya at the edge of the porch, his face and hands smudged with dirt, and having just come from the road north to the mountains. 

"Hey!" Sam said, a warmth filling his voice. He hurried down the steps to greet Volodya, throwing his arms around the farmer.

Volodya returned the favor, and they enjoyed the moment, their bodies pressed against each other. 

"Sorry I haven't talked to you in so long," Sam said. "I had to work. Not that I didn't want to talk to you, I did. I've just been working so much, I don't know why I decided to just show up here without warning, I didn't know if you would even be here, and--"

Sam trailed off upon hearing Volodya laugh. 

Volodya placed a strong hand on Sam's arm. "Dude, you're fine. I'm glad you came."

"Oh," Sam said, feeling a deep sense of relief. He breathed in the country air. "It's really pretty out here."

"Yeah." Volodya paused. "That coming from a pretty boy like you."

"What?" Sam said with a grin. "You think I'm--"

"Gorgeous," the farmer stated. He glanced away shyly, holding his wrist behind his back. "C'mon, with eyes like yours?"

Sam gasped. He threw his arms around Volodya once more. "That earned you another hug." He grinned, his face less than inch from the farmer's. Could he sense a hint of color on the farmer's cheeks?

"Do you want to go inside?" Volodya said in a quiet voice. 

"Lead the way," said Sam, following him into the house. "I brought my guitar, I thought I could serenade you." 

If Volodya's face wasn't red before, it certainly was now. "I should probably take a shower; I've been working in the mines all day."

"Take your time, I'll be here," Sam said, pulling his guitar out of his case and sitting down on the couch. 

Volodya nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. 

While he was gone, Sam strummed a few chords, playing with some rhythms he had been working on and practicing a few songs from his favorite bands. 

Twenty minutes passed, and Volodya returned in a clean T-shirt and jeans, his dark brown curls still damp. 

"Can I get you a beer?" he asked, his hand on the fridge door. 

Sam stopped strumming for a moment. "Yeah, that would be great."

Volodya pulled two bottles out of the fridge and set them out of the counter. "I hope you weren't expecting some fancy dinner, all I have is frozen pizza."

Sam gasped, abruptly dropping the song he was playing. Volodya looked back at him with wide eyes, clearly startled. 

"I LOVE frozen pizza."

"Oh good," Volodya laughed. "You had me worried there for a moment."

Sam kept playing softly as Volodya turned on the oven and took the pizza out of the freezer. He uncapped the bottles and walked over to where Sam was sitting.

"Thank you," Sam said, taking one of the beers. He took a sip as Volodya sat down in the armchair next to him, taking a restful sigh and putting his feet up on the coffee table. 

Sam gulped. "My mom would kill you for that."

"Good thing she's not here then," Volodya said with a frown. He raised his bottle. "Here's to..." his voice trailed off in thought. 

Sam raised his bottle. "To pizza."

Volodya smiled. "Yes, to Pizza, the patron goddess of late night hunger."

"Hell yeah," Sam chuckled as they clinked bottles, taking a long sip afterwards. 

As Volodya relaxed back into his chair, Sam began strumming on the guitar again. 

"I took a pill in Ibiza, to show Avicii I was cool/And when I finally got sober, felt ten years older/but fuck it, it was something to do/ I'm living out in LA, I drive a sports car just to prove/I'm a real big baller 'cause I made a million dollars/ And I spend it on girls and shoes..."

Volodya leaned on the arm of his chair, listening to Sam's voice, sneaking glances at him. Sam played on, his gaze nowhere in particular.

"All I know are sad songs, Darlin', sad songs..."

When he finished, he looked up. Volodya was leaning towards him on one elbow, his mouth hung open slightly. 

Sam gave a weird face. "I just realized I could have played like, any song, and I picked something depressing."

Volodya blinked, finally regaining his composure. "Oh, no, it's--your beautiful, I mean, your voice, it's beautiful." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. "I'm really glad you're here."

Sam breathed a smile. In the kitchen, something made a loud beep. "What was that?"

"Oh." Volodya stood up. "It's time to put the pizza in the oven."

As he walked away, Sam set the guitar aside and slid down in his seat. He nervously ran a hand through his hair. 

I'm really glad you're here. That's what Volodya had said. Sam couldn't tell what he meant by that. All these compliments. So glad to see him when they barely know each other, just fucked once. Sam felt a wave of anger wash over him. There was his answer.

"What have your friends been up to?" Volodya said, plopping back down in his chair and picking up his beer. "Abigail and Sebastian?"

"Oh, they've been busy obsessing over that whole monster thing." Sam said, sitting up in a more upright position. 

"What monster thing?" Volodya asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Some monster Sebastian claims he saw lurking around the lake. They even want to go looking through the forest for clues." Sam's posture stiffened. He knew he shouldn't say anything. He knew he shouldn't say it. "Hey, did you know that I dropped out of college?"

"What?" Volodya shifted in his chair, his expression one of concern. 

"Yeah, sophomore year. I was already struggling, and then my dad got deployed again. My grades started slipping, and I lost my scholarship. We couldn't afford it, and I've been living at home ever since."

Volodya stared at him, the air filling with a grave (awkward?) silence. Finally, the farmer sat back. 

"I graduated with a degree in linguistics, and look at me now, I grow plants for a living," he said. "You shouldn't feel bad about it. It sounds like it's not your fault, anyway--"

"And what about Alex?" Sam interrupted, suddenly dropping the subject for something else.

Volodya displayed a look of confusion. "What about Alex?"

"Isn't he attractive?"

Volodya stifled a laugh. "Yeah?"

Sam pursed his lips. "Did you try to hook up with him?"

"No," Volodya said, his tone becoming more defensive. "I mean, we did. How is that important?"

"You did hook up with him?!" Sam exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"It was a long time ago. And I wouldn't call it a hookup," Volodya explained, somehow remaining calm. He stood up. "Look, you can ask me about my history, but you can't expect to be the only person I've slept with."

"It's not about that." 

"Then what?"

Another silence passed in the air between them as they stared each other down.

Sam spoke up. "You think you can just bring me in here, ply me with food, get me drunk, so you can fuck me like anyone else."

"What?!" Volodya exclaimed, his eyes beginning to show panic. "Sam, you're not 'like anyone else.' You're important to me."

"You barely know me!" Sam argued. "How can you say that?"

"That's not what I meant," Volodya retracted, rubbing his forehead. "I mean, it's important for me to get to know you."

"Why, so you can get off somewhere other than in your hand?"

Volodya let out a sharp laugh, which caught Sam by surprise.

"You think this is funny?"

Calming himself down, Volodya spoke. "I want to get to know you even if we don't have sex. I wouldn't care if you just came here to talk." 

Sam folded his arms. "Really?"

"Really." Volodya gave a nod. He was quiet as a thought passed over his head. "Do you want to have sex?"

Sam blinked. "Of course."

In an instant, they had grabbed each other, lips crashing together in a violent passion. Sam combed his fingers through the hair on the back of Volodya's head as Volodya slid a hand down his back. In a frenzied rush, they stumbled onto the couch, somehow pulling off each other's clothes, Sam thankful when Volodya's hand freed his length from the confines of his pants. The guitar went crashing to the floor and neither man paid it any attention. 

Some time later, when they were breathing hard, he felt Volodya's weight lay on top of him, resting the side of his face on Sam's chest. He ran his fingers through the man's soft curls. "Vlo," he murmured, somehow missing a few syllables. 

Volodya pressed against Sam's chest, lifting his head until their eyes met. "Mmm?"

"You said Alex is attractive."

A smirk crossed Volodya's face. He rested his chin on the back of his hand. "You said that, and I agreed. But go on."

Sam blushed, somehow embarrassed for liking another guy even though one was laying on top of him, one that he had just had sex with. "You really think I'm attractive like he is?"

"Sam." Those deep brown eyes were staring at him again. "Alex is like, conventionally attractive. You're beautiful." He paused, his mind trying to process what he was saying. "I don't mean that in a feminine way...you're very handsome. But you have this beautiful realness about you."

Sam blinked at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you," he answered.

Volodya laid his cheek on Sam's chest again and closed his eyes. "Like you just...You don't give a shit about what other people think of you."

Sam gave a laugh. "If we're being real, can I tell you something?"

Volodya looked up at him again. "What?"

"I'm not used to telling guys this, but you're really hot."

Volodya breathed a smile, his sleepy eyes half open. "In that case, I am privileged and honored to receive such a sentiment."

Laughter bubbled out of Sam, and Volodya grinned, his head sort of bobbing up and down on Sam's chest as it expanded and contracted with air. 

A loud beeping noise could be heard over in the kitchen.

Sam groaned. "Volodya, your kitchen is beeping."

Volodya laughed. He shifted forwards and touched his lips to Sam's in a gentle kiss. He kissed him several more times as Sam happily obliged, lifting his chin to receive them.

"What are you thinking about?" Sam said, those eyes staring into him again. 

"I'm thinking I didn't even have to get you that drunk."

Sam burst out laughing. "Shut up."


	7. Face to Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having been more acquainted with one another, current events cause Sam and Volodya to have a bit of a DTR.

When Volodya woke up, it was still dark. He dragged his hand along the floor as it dangled off the side of his bed and trailed up to the red lettering of the alarm clock on his nightstand. 5:46. He beat his alarm. 

He stretched his arms out, rolling over in his bed, his fingers brushing past warm skin. Startled, he sat up on his elbows, pulling away from the being. In the dark, he could see as Sam, still asleep, retracted his hand into a curled up position at his chest. Half of his angelic face was squished against a pillow, a mane of dirty blond hair sticking out in places, more of its own attitude than any product that had been washed out. Volodya felt a lightheartedness upon seeing him. He remembered the events that had transpired the night before: eating pizza while naked, taking a shower together, Sam borrowing his T-shirt and boxers, staying up late just talking. Volodya laid his head back down on the pillow, calm but unable to go back to sleep. He was watching the rising and falling silhouette of the other man's chest in the dark when the alarm sounded.

Instantly, Sam rolled onto his back, clearly stirred. 

"Ugh, what time is it?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as Volodya leaned back to turn off the incessant beeping noise. 

Volodya placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "6 a.m. I have chores, but you stay," he said in a gentle voice with the shadow of sleep.

"Mmmmh okay," Sam said, Volodya suspected largely autonomously, as he rolled over into fetal position, pulling all the blankets towards him. 

With the covers removed, Volodya got out of bed and slipped on sweatpants and a shirt, and his feet into sandals. He exited the house through the front door, but as soon as the screen door clanged shut, he pulled out his phone on the front porch. 

"Volodya! Good to hear from you, I'm just making some coffee. What's new?" Nick's voice was chipper for an early morning call. 

"Dude, I'm freaking out," Volodya half-whispered, fiercely clutching his phone with both hands. "There's a man in my bed."

Nick laughed in his coarse, dry voice. Volodya could hear him turn down the volume of the TV in the background. "So how's life on the farm?"

"Fine," Volodya sulked. "Just fine."

"Good, good," said Nick, still in high spirits. "So, a man in your bed? Is this something new for you?"

"Ha, ha," Volodya said flatly, fending off his sarcasm. "That's not the problem. It's that--well, first of all, this is the second time this has happened. With him."

"Uh-huh, and do you like this man? I assume he's age appropriate--"

"YES, Yoba, Nick." Volodya quickly corrected himself. "I mean yes, he's my age. I don't know. I guess..." his voice trailed off as he traced the edge of the deck with his foot. "It's pretty bad. We fell asleep holding hands."

There was that laughter again. "Volodya, there's nothing wrong with liking someone. Or liking another man."

"I don't know," Volodya vacillated. "He's like, a college dropout and lives with his mom..."

"So status is important to you?"

"No?" Volodya said defensively. "It's just, it's a small town. If something happens between us, everyone will know."

"True," Nick conceded. "But if the town really is as small as you say, it's going to be awkward running into him when you still have feelings for him. Unless you have a magic wand that you can wave to make those go away."

Volodya didn't answer, just stared at the red glow in the horizon.

"It's your decision," Nick concluded. "And speaking of the whole town knowing things, there haven't been any violent incidents in the news lately, at least not in Zuzu."

Volodya raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that something."

"Yes, which is good because the police purportedly remain baffled." Volodya could hear him take a long sip of his coffee.

"Nothing out here," Volodya explained, sitting on the porch railing. "Marnie, that's the lady where I get all my ranch supplies, one of her cows went missing. I don't know if it's related."

"Hmm," Nick said in a brief, mildly amused tone. "How's the farm work, by the way?"

"It's good. Well, tiring at times, but I don't miss my old job at all." He felt calmer. "I think it helps, being outside."

"Accommodating your hunter instincts, I take it." 

Volodya nodded once, but said nothing. 

"That's good to hear," Nick continued. "By the way, I hope you weren't planning on moving back in; your old apartment got leased last week."

"Really? To who?"

"Some young couple. It looked like they did a makeover; I saw them hauling Ikea boxes up the stairs with some of their friends."

"Well of course," Volodya conceded, joking a little. "A throw rug to cover up the stains on the carpet, a nice picture to cover the gap in the drywall..."

Nick laughed. "I did hear some of the argument they had with the landlord about those stains, which I'm pretty sure are ketchup."

"You didn't tell them about ketchup gate? From the time of my fruitful but short-lived Costco membership?"

"I'm not sure how I could tell that story without sounding insane," said Nick, "although perhaps it would be better than what they currently think."

"What, they're not calling CSI on my old apartment?" Volodya inquired, only half joking. 

"Not that I know of." He paused and added, on a more serious note, "No one's come looking for you. If they did, you'd be the first to know."

"Oh," Volodya said, breathing some relief. "Okay."

"Other than that, there's no news in the city, it's always about traffic. Although it's been quite a change to have these new neighbors. They've been having parties often, and I suppose I sound old when I say they're too loud."

"You are old, Nick," Volodya said with a smile, leaning with one elbow on the porch railing. 

"Of course I'm old, but I don't want to sound it!"

That garnered a laugh in response from Volodya. His smile faded when he spotted someone walking towards the farm in the distance. "Well, I've got to go. Talk to you later?"

"Anytime, Volodya. Good luck with your farm. And good luck with that man."

Volodya felt himself blush a little. "Okay, 'bye, Nick."

He quickly hung up as he saw Jodi at the edge of the country road, strolling along in the morning light. She saw him and waved. Volodya took one look at her and ducked back into the house.

Once he shut the door behind him, he closed his eyes tightly in regret. He didn't even wave back; who does that?! She'll know something's up. 

He panicked, looking around the room for a nonexistent excuse, remaining frozen long enough that he heard her walk up the front steps and knock on the front door. Instinctively, he waited a few seconds before answering it.

"Hi!" Jodi said brightly. "How are you this morning? Is Sam here?"

"I'm good, um," Volodya swallowed, weighing his options for diplomacy. "He's--"

"Can I come in?" the woman interrupted before, without further prompting, made her way past him into the house. 

"Hey, hey!" Volodya said, immediately following her. "You can't just barge in here!"

"I'm just admiring the decor of your lovely home," she said, looking around to fit her story. She picked up an old model ship sitting on a shelf, about an inch of dust falling off of it in the process. "Hmpf," she concluded, setting it back down. 

"Um, thanks?" said Volodya, glancing at all the empty beer bottles on the coffee table. When she wasn't looking, he kicked Sam's guitar under the couch. Luckily it didn't make a sound--

"Hey, what's going on?"

Volodya turned towards the bedroom to see Sam had wandered in, still wearing Volodya's boxers and pink Gorillaz T-shirt. He covered his mouth as he yawned, but froze when he spotted his mother. 

"Mom, what are you doing here?" he said, now definitely woken up.

"Sweetie, you forgot your inhaler at home. I went to Sebastian's house, and Robyn said he was alone in his room, and they hadn't seen you all evening."

Volodya sent Sam a blank stare. 

Sam rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "Yeah, well, I decided to come here instead."

Volodya stepped towards him, putting an arm around Sam's neck in a brotherly fashion. "Yeah, we met up with Sebastian, but he had some work to do, so I said we should come over to MY house for a change." Out of the corner of his eye, he could sense a tiny smile on Sam's face.

"Okay, well, I was worried about you." Jodie pulled the inhaler out of her purse and handed it to Sam. "You should let me know where you are."

"Thanks," Sam said as he took the device. 

"You're welcome, sweetie," she said, tossing her bag over her shoulder and flashing a maudlin smile. She turned to leave. "Oh, and don't be late to dinner, I'm making pasta. You can come too, Volodya." Without so much as a wave, she left. 

Volodya walked to the front window and checked out the curtains. When saw her disappear from a safe distance. With a blank expression on his face, he turned back to Sam. "What just happened?"

"I haven't needed this since I was ten," said Sam, tossing the inhaler on the couch and yawning. "I'm going back to bed."

As he turned towards the bedroom, Volodya quickly followed after him. "Good idea."

Sam crawled into Volodya's bed, and Volodya crawled in next to him. They each lied on their side, facing each other. For a few moments, they just stared at one another.

"I guess we're lucky we were both dressed," Volodya said quietly.

Sam breathed a humorless laugh. "Yeah. But it's too late; she knows. She does my laundry."

Volodya was speechless again, his thoughts shifting like Tetris blocks. "Wh--"

"That's right," Sam said, rolling onto his back, looking endlessly up at the ceiling. "I'm twenty six years old and my mom still does my laundry, and she knows which underwear is mine! And she just had to come up with the most bullshit, convoluted reason to come over here."

"Maybe she still doesn't believe it," Volodya suggested, resting his head on one elbow. "Straight people are good at coming up with shit like that. Like you spilled something on your clothes and had to borrow some."

"Yeah, spilled something like cum." Sam said under his breath. 

Volodya heard the remark and couldn't help but laugh; Sam managed a smirk. 

They shared a mutual silence for a moment. After a while, Sam lifted his head up to look at Volodya, who was still quietly staring at him, a youthful glimmer in his eyes. 

"I want to hold you," Sam said. 

Volodya nodded. He moved closer and Sam wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling his head into Volodya's neck as he felt his weight on top of him. They shared each other's presence some more.

They settled on lying with Volodya's back to Sam, Sam clutching at Volodya's chest. He sleepily voiced his thoughts. "I don't know why I even came in. I think, in the back of my mind, I recognized her voice, but I did it anyway. Why would I do that?"

Volodya was equally sleepy when he spoke. "To piss her off."

"Fuck her," Sam said suddenly. He immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't say things like that."

Volodya exhaled, undoubtedly in a smile. "What, you think I'm going to tell on you?"

Sam grimaced. "You can't let me say that. What if I said that about your mother?"

"I don't talk to her. My parents disowned me when they found out I was queer. My aunt raised me." Sam listened to him speak, although unable to see his face. 

"What if I said that about your aunt, then?"

"Don't you DARE talk about my aunt that way!" Volodya raised his voice, sitting up. He made eye contact, before flashing a grin and settling back down. "May she rest in peace."

Sam laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry, I take it back."

"Good," said Volodya. 

Sam blinked, his mind still stirring. "You're right though, I really want to piss her off now."

He heard Volodya's voice again. "And what are you going to do about that?"

"I want to do something, like, really...really gay" he concluded.

"Move in with me."

He heard the words over Volodya's shoulder. He even felt it when the other man's jaw moved as he spoke. But it was as if the words were uttered in some other, dream state. 

"Really?"

"You said you wanted to piss her off," Volodya continued, his voice soft and silky. "That'll do it. You already have your inhaler; she's going to run out of excuses to come over."

Sam shifted his position. "Are you sure? Not that I don't want to! It's just, we hardly know each other."

"You can always move back if it doesn't work out." Volodya rolled over to face him again, his eyes half open. "And I wasn't asking." A sleepy smile grew on his face along with Sam's heart rate.

Sam grinned and together, they shared a few breathy laughs. 

"Well, when you put it that way," Sam said, "I can't say no."

"Okay, if I gave you a choice," Volodya conceded, "what would you want to do?"

"I want to kiss you," said Sam. 

Volodya rolled his eyes. "That's what you always want to do."

"I can't help it when you look at me like that," Sam said with a laugh.

Volodya said nothing, just sent his usual smoldering grin Sam's way, enough for him to laugh harder, his face growing hot.

"Okay, I'll do it," he said, and Volodya moved towards him, grinning until their lips met. After drinking in the moment, Volodya moved away. 

"Good."

"I hope we can spend more time like this," Sam said when they were lying together again. "Also, I don't know why my mom suggested dinner when she knows it's saloon night."

"Saloon night?" Volodya asked in a gentle interest.

"Every Friday, me and Abigail and Seb get together to play pool at the saloon. You can come if you want. I always lose, but we have a good time."

"Okay. I still have some chores to get done, but I'll come over," he heard Volodya's voice mumble. 

"Oh no, am I distracting you? I remember you went out earlier."

"I did," said Volodya, "But then I saw your mom and ran for cover."

"Sorry about that," Sam said, feeling guilty, but he felt Volodya laugh it off.

"I think I'll stay in bed a little longer," said the farmer, pulling cozying up to Sam with his arm around him. "And THEN get up."

Sam's cheeks flushed red, and he smiled.

***

"There he is," Abigail called out when Sam walked into the saloon. She ran to give him a hug, Sebastian following close behind. "Where have you been, dude? I haven't seen you in ages."

"Just working," Sam said, casually pulling his hands into his pockets. "And I was over at Volodya's, earlier--"

"I KNEW it!" Abigail looked positively radiant. "We just ordered food, so come over and sit, and then DETAILS." Nearly skipping, she headed back to their corner table. 

Sam turned to Sebastian. "How's it going, dude?"

"We went to Cindersap to look for clues about the monster. You really should have come with us," Sebastian said, folding his elbows. 

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Sam, "I was busy with work, and then, yeah, you know what, I'll come with you guys next time."

Sebastian shot him an unconvincing glare, but shrugged. "Okay."

"I'll bet it on our first game of pool," Sam promised, his eyes earnest.

That got a laugh out of Sebastian. "You know that's a mistake."

When Sam slid into the corner booth next to Abigail, she was thumbing through a comically large and old-looking book. 

"What's that?" he asked, leaning to get a look of the illustrations on the page. 

"Never mind that," Abigail said, snapping the book closed. Sebastian, who had sat down on the other side of her, immediately pulled it towards him and started thumbing through it. Abigail kept her attention on Sam. "You and the farmer. Go."

Sam gave a toothy grin. "I don't know what there is to tell."

"Come on!" Abigail groaned. "You've gotta give me more than that. Did you...kiss?"

"I mean, yeah," Sam laughed. "How much do you really want to know?"

"Okay, start at the beginning." Abigail leaned in with interest. 

"I went over to his house--"

"Wait, you just showed up at his house?" Abigail interrupted. "I thought he was going to your house to work on your character sheets."

"Oh, we did that too." Sam said. "I thought you were talking about yesterday."

"Right, that was last week," Abigail said, closing her eyes in thought. "So, yesterday. What happened?"

Sam shrugged. "Nothing special. We drank and played guitar."

"You said you kissed," Abigail contended. 

"Yeah?" Sam said, still grinning.

She tilted her head, reaching for more information. "Did you...make out?"

Sam laughed. "Yes, Abi, we made out."

Abigail slammed her palms down on the table. "Oh my god, really? I'm not going to ask about anything more than that...?"

Sam just looked down at the table.

"Sam!" She elbowed him in the side. 

He grinned. "It's like I said, how much do you really want to know?"

"I guess I don't," she said, shaking her head. "So when are you going to see him again?"

"I don't know. I guess, soon?"

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Riiiight. And when is soon?"

"Look behind you," Sebastian uttered without looking up from his book. Abigail cranked her head towards the door. 

"Why, what's--" Sam stopped mid-sentence as he turned to see Volodya enter the establishment. "Hey!"

Volodya was caught by his attention and waved back with a smile. He was still in his overalls and work boots, but Sam couldn't take his eyes off him as he approached the table. 

"Hey guys," he said, his voice displaying a light, friendly disposition.

Sam jumped up from the table. "You made it!" he said, giving him a hug. "Come sit with us."

"Sure," said Volodya, resting a hand on the sleeve of Sam's denim jacket. He had gone home earlier to change into his own clothes to be less conspicuous. "I'm starving; did you guys order already?"

Abigail slid out of the booth, grabbing Sam's other arm. "We ordered a pizza and fries to share, but actually, Volodya, could you be a dear and get us some drinks?"  
Volodya sent a glance in Sam's question before returning his attention to her. "Sure, what can I get you?"

Abigail looked thoughtful. "Hmmm, an IPA. Something hoppy."

"You got it. Sebastian?"

Sebastian looked up from his book with a blank expression. "A cider, thanks."

Volodya gave a nod, and with an expectant expression, turned to Sam beside him.

"You know what I want," Sam muttered under his breath. 

Immediately, Volodya burst out laughing. "Sam," he said between laughs, and their eyes met briefly before returning to another fit of laughter, clutching his stomach. 

Volodya took a deep breath, Sam still grinning beside him. "Okay, I'm going to go get those drinks, and then I'll be back."

"Okay, bye," said Abigail, flashing the whites of her eyes, her tone forceful. He walked away and she pulled Sam back into the booth next to her, sending her friend a telling expression. "You two seem...friendly."

"Yeah, we're friends, Abi," Sam said, his voice full of his usual punk attitude. "So where are you guys in the monster hunt? Sorry I missed the investigation."

"You missed nothing," Abigail said flatly. "You missed us wandering around aimlessly in the forest for several hours with nothing but mosquito bites and sunburns to show for it."

"I still don't see how it could have traveled from the mines to the forest so quickly," said Sebastian, speaking up suddenly. "I'm looking at the list of creatures that can be found in the mines, and of the ones that look anything like they could take down a full-grown farm animal, they don't seem to be able to move very fast."

"Maybe the book is off," Abigail suggested. An idea suddenly lit up her eyes. "We might have to go down in the mines to investigate?"

"Isn't that dangerous?" Sebastian countered. "I, for one, am not going down there."

"But how else are we going to find out? We need a firsthand source," Abigail argued.

"Volodya's been down in the mines," Sam interrupted. "Maybe you could ask him."

Abigail and Sebastian turned to him in surprise.

"He takes a sword with him," Sam continued. This made Abigail's jaw drop a few degrees further. Sam turned away from the table as Volodya approached with drinks. "Hey, Volodya, have you seen any monsters down in the mines?"

"Yeah," the farmer said plainly, handing out the beverages and sitting down. "Why?"

"We think one of them escaped and is roaming the countryside," Sebastian explained.

"I don't think that's likely," Volodya rebuffed. "Marlon has the mines sealed pretty well. The monster would have to be able to key into and operate the elevator."

"Well, look at this book at least," said Abigail, sliding the tome over to him. She pointed at the picture of a shadow brute. "Do you think one of these could make it from the mines to the forest in a matter of hours?"

"I don't know," said the farmer, resting a hand on the page. "What's in Cindersap?"

"The remains of one of Marnie's cows were found there the morning of the Flower Festival," said Abigail, and immediately, Volodya's eyes grew wide, his composure lessened.

"Her cow...what?"

"You don't know?" Abigail explained. "The whole town was talking about it."

Volodya looked down at the picture again, giving no response. 

"I guess that answers that," Sam said conclusively, turning to Abigail. "Maybe it could have come from the mines after all."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens," Sebastian spoke up. "There's nothing else we can say based on what we currently have."

"So we're just going to wait around until something else gets attacked?" Abigail protested. "Someone could get hurt--"

"Pizza!"

The whole table looked up at Gus, who stood before them carrying a hot pizza. They moved their glasses so he could set it down. "Enjoy."

"Thanks, Gus," Sam beamed. 

Abigail bit her tongue and drank a few gulps of her beer. When Gus was gone, she continued her speech at a lower volume. "Whatever attacked that cow is still out there, and we shouldn't rest until we find it." Sebastian sat nodding beside her.

Sam glanced at Volodya, who still looked uneasy. "Okay, I'm in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of dramatic irony in this one, haha. I think I'm going to start posting regularly on Sundays, since that seems to work for me. I hope y'all have been enjoying the fic; thanks for reading and leaving kudos, comments are always welcome :) ok bye!


	8. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam helps Volodya with some chores around the farm.

The sun was freshly risen when Volodya awoke as usual, turning off his alarm and slipping quietly out of bed so Sam wouldn't wake beside him. He was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, the television on in the background, when to his surprise, the other man appeared from the bedroom, fully dressed and awake. 

"Good morning," said Sam in a melodic voice, giving Volodya a kiss on the top of his head as he passed by.

"I thought you didn't have work until nine," Volodya remarked, brushing a hand along Sam's arm before he stepped away to gather some oatmeal from the stove. 

"I want to get up when you get up," Sam said with a smile, although a sleepy one.

Volodya was silent, the answer one he didn't expect. "That's sweet of you," he finally responded.

Sam poured himself a cup of coffee and sat next to him, his legs criss-crossed in his chair somehow as he held the bowl of oatmeal to his face. 

"Mmm," he grunted after sticking a spoonful in his mouth. "Do you have any sugar?"

"I put some jam in mine. Here," said Volodya, handing him the jar. 

"Dude, nice," said Sam as he set down his bowl to add some of the jewel-colored preserve. Upon trying it, his eyes grew wide. "This is delicious! Did you make this?"

"Yeah," said Volodya, somehow finding himself blushing at complements from someone with whom he was already well acquainted. "At the end of last season, I took all the leftover strawberries and turned them into jam." 

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed in realization. "I was wondering what was taking up the whole bottom half of the fridge. Living on a farm is weird," he concluded. 

Volodya laughed as he sipped his coffee. "That's for sure." He quieted himself, taking another sip, but watching Sam sit in his chair in that awkward position, eating his bowl of oatmeal, it made him crack up.

"What?" Sam smiled knowingly. He stretched one leg over the side of the chair. "Do you have a problem with the way I sit?"

"I think I just snorted hot coffee through my nose."

"Good," said Sam with a grin, Volodya still struggling to keep a straight face. 

***

"Every morning I come in to feed the chickens and collect the eggs," Volodya explained as he unlatched the door to the coop. 

Sam followed him inside, glancing around curiously. A few chickens were milling around the floor, clucking happily. Volodya took a hook off the wall and used it to pull a bale of hay from the chute and set it on the floor, where one of the chickens started pecking at it. 

"They'll run around outside, but I always leave them a bale of hay in case it rains." he pulled a sack off a high shelf and reached into it with a measuring cup. "There you go."

Sam took the cup of feed and held it with both hands. "What do I do?"

Volodya breathed a smile. With his wrist, he made a shaking motion.

"Oh." Sam scattered the feed on the ground, and all the chickens instantly flocked to him. "Oh! Look at them go."

"Looks like someone's popular," Volodya quipped, folding his arms in satisfaction.

"Wow, I'm finally one of the cool kids," Sam laughed. "Do they have names?"

"Hmm, no," Volodya said, picking an egg out of its nest and putting it in the front pocket of his overalls. "And what do you mean? You're a cool kid." 

"You should have seen me in high school," Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had braces the whole time, me and Sebastian were mathletes..."

"Really? A skateboarding mathlete?" 

"Yeah," Sam said with a big, gulping laugh. "We got beat up sometimes. I don't miss those days."

"Well," Volodya said, taking both of Sam's hands in his. "You're cool to me. I would have dated you in high school."

Sam leaned in and kissed him, giggling slightly when they pulled away. "I didn't kiss boys in high school."

Volodya laughed with him. "You know, it's weird, but I didn't either."

Sam smiled, his gaze lingering on Volodya until he was grounded by the clucking of chickens. "So what are we going to name them? These chickens have to have names!"

"How about..." Volodya's voice trailed off as he knelt down by one of the chickens. "Sam Jr."

Sam gave a laugh. "No way."

Volodya pointed to the remaining two chickens. "Abigail and Sebastian Jr. How's that?"

"It's perfect." Sam watched the chickens run around, now that they were fed. He watched as one of them bobbed its head as it walked out the front door. "Abigail Jr. just got out. Is that bad?"

"Isn't that one Sam?" Volodya said, half paying attention as he collected the other eggs.

"You can tell them apart?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"After a while, yeah," Volodya answered. "And that door is fine; I always let them out during the day. As long as the gate to the fence is closed." When he didn't get an immediate answer from Sam, he raised an eyebrow. "You did close the gate behind you, right?"

"Yes..." Sam gave an apologetic smile. "Just one minute."

Sam ran out of the coop to close the gate. He spotted Sam Jr. lurking suspiciously towards the fence and managed to pull the latch before the chicken could get to it. 

"Gotcha."

He turned to see Volodya leaning against the door frame, an amused expression on his face. "One thing about living on a farm is if you see something that's closed, it's closed for a reason, so you better leave it that way when you're done.

"I guess I learned my lesson," Sam said, grimacing apologetically as Volodya approached him. 

"You'll get the hang of it," Volodya said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. 

"Yeah. I will," he said with some resolve, looking out over the farm. The sun was just peeking over the mountains in the east, casting long blue shadows over the dew covered grass along the ground. He turned to Volodya with a bright expression. "Can we do this again tomorrow?"

Volodya laughed, patting Sam's shoulder. "This is everyday for me, so if you want to get up early again, yeah?"

"I'd like that," Sam answered. As they stood next to each other, their hands swayed in the morning breeze, brushing past one another. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" 

"I think I'm going to head back into the mines. Today is supposed to be lucky," Volodya explained.

"Sounds like it." Sam interlaced a couple fingers in Volodya's until their hands were intertwined. He liked the feel of his rough, calloused hands. A chicken ran between them, and surprised by the moment, Sam let go and jumped back. 

"Chickens are basically tiny velociraptors with less strength and feathers," Volodya remarked, amused by Sam's reaction. "I think."

"I can see it," Sam agreed. "Just grow them to human size and add teeth. I don't know what Shane's talking about when he says raising chickens is a calm experience. It's all he talks about at work."

"Really?" Volodya said, his face calm as he looked into Sam's eyes. 

"Yeah. It's like some hobby he obsesses over."

There was a moment of silence before Volodya took Sam's hand again and slowly pulled it close to himself. They shared the moment in each other's presence until each had resolved to return to the day's work, the feeling staying on their minds. 

***

"I think that's most of it," said Sebastian as he loaded his electric keyboard onto the back of the truck, graciously provided by Lewis. 

"We have all the drums, right?" Sam asked. He surveyed the cluster of instruments, trying to see if anything was out of place. 

"I think so," Sebastian said, jumping down from the truck bed. He checked his phone. "Abigail sent me the list, but I think we got everything." He paused, turning to Sam. "You really think it's a good idea to move band practice to Volodya's house? He's okay with it?"

"He suggested it," said Sam, flipping up the back of the truck. "And we can finally stop waiting until my mom's out doing errands to practice. Or we could practice late at night! We not going to bother anyone out there. I hope it's not too far for you guys," he added. 

"It's about the same distance for me," Sebastian mused. "Although more out of the way since it's out of town."

"Oh Seb, always stuck in your ways," Sam said with a laugh. "Have you been to the farm before?"

"Just once, when my mom had me bring over some tools while she was building something for the farmer." Sebastian frowned, looking at the equipment in the truck. 

"Did you remember your amp?"

"Yeah, it's in there, under the...My cord! Hang on." 

Sam jogged up the front steps into the living room. He ducked into his room, which felt much emptier without all the instruments taking up space. Kneeling down by the spot where his guitar used to stand, he picked up the lone amp cord, winding it up and throwing it over one shoulder. As he turned to leave, he saw his mom in the doorway.

"Hi Sweetie, is there anything I can help you with?" She smiled kindly. 

"I think we've got it, but thanks, though," Sam answered, waving a hand. 

Instead of exiting the room, the woman stepped forward, a smile still plastered to her face as she folded her arms. "You're spending a lot more time with your friends, hmm?"

"Yeah, mom," Sam said, eyes moving around his head in joking manner. 

She didn't move, her arms staying folded as her expression faded. In a lowered voice, she spoke with increased gravity. "I know about you and the farmer. I just wanted to let you know that I love and support you for who you are."

Sam's eyebrows raised, still feeling an air of unease. "Thanks?"

"I support you," she repeated. "But do you really have to stay over so often? It's like you practically live out there." She laughed to herself in a tense manner.

"Yeah, mom, that's kind of the point," Sam said, with a grin somehow making its way onto his face.

Jodi pursed her lips. "But think how hard it is on your brother, you being gone so often. Is that how you want him to see you? He looks up to you, you know."

"I know," Sam echoed her. "I'll come home SOMEtimes," he conceded, "It's not like I'm moving to the other side of the planet."

She glared at him in silence. "Okay," she finally responded. "Just remember to come stop by."

***

"Got it?" Sebastian asked as Sam hopped into the cab of the truck and closed the door.

"Yep, let's get out of here." Sam quickly fastened his seat belt.

"Good." Sebastian started the engine and backed away from the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly shorter update since I forgot last time I said I would update on Sundays. So much for that, haha. I'll see if I can do longer next week. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and leaving kudos, leave a comment if you feel so inclined.


	9. In the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Scooby gang has band practice on the farm, and later decides to delve into some dark arts...

Abigail felt out of place as she walked up to the front of the house. It was quiet out, the late afternoon sky overhead. Sam's skateboard was resting against the front of the house. She knocked a few times, and after waiting a long pause, knocked again. Just as she had, the distant call of Sam's voice was heard. 

"Door's open!"

She opened the door and stepped into the living room, where the equipment was staged around the perimeter. Sebastian was setting up some series of cords under his keyboard, and Sam was sprawled across the couch strumming his guitar, somehow managing to take up the whole thing for himself. 

"Hey, you made it," Sam said, leaning his head backwards over the arm of the couch. 

"Yeah, I--" she was cut off by Volodya entering behind her. She was speechless for a moment as he made his way to Sam. 

"Where did he come from?" Abigail asked rather abuptly. She turned to Sebastian, who just shrugged. 

Sam sat up as Volodya leaned down to kiss him. "Hey," Sam said looking up at him with bright eyes. Volodya smirked, playfully ruffling his hair a bit before wandering into the kitchen. 

"Wow," said Abigail, folding her arms, impressed. "So are you two, like, boyfriends now?"

Sam stopped strumming his guitar again to crane his neck over the back of the couch. "Hey, Volodya, are we boyfriends?"

"Um," Volodya mumbled, closing the cupboard door with one hand as he swallowed a bite of the granola bar he held in the other. "Okay."

Sam turned back to Abigail with a pleased expression. "Yeah."

"You guys." Abigail rolled her eyes. She turned back to Sebastian, who was sitting quietly, glancing back at her through his shock of black hair. "Is your hair getting longer? It seems more emo than usual."

"Does anyone want something to drink?" Sam announced, setting his guitar on the couch as he stood up. "We have water, or if you're feeling fancy, eau de Joja."

"What is it?" Abigail asked, plopping down behind her drum set.

"Fresh from the pond," Volodya added, hooking his arm around Sam's neck. Sam spilled out laughter. 

"Just Joja cola," Sam clarified to Abigail. "And I didn't drink it that time," he said, rolling his eyes with a smile at Volodya's remark. 

"You were going to," his boyfriend teased. 

"Is it actually cola you fished out of a pond?" Abigail said skeptically, picking up her drumsticks.

"It's some I took from work," Sam responded in a tone of sarcasm that mirrored hers. "Duh, Abi."

"Oh, well, in that case, I support any efforts to sabotage Joja before they put my dad out of business." Abigail grinned. 

"Fuck yeah!" He pointed to Sebastian. 

"Just water," said his friend, with one hand brushing his locks behind his ear. 

"Okay," Sam said, spinning on his heel toward the kitchen. 

Abigail watched Volodya head to the front door. "You aren't staying to watch?"

"Oh," he said, looking up with a mild air of surprise. "Don't let me bother you guys. I have to go get some hardwood to fix the fences. I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Okay, we'll definitely have at least one song ready by then," Abigail smiled, leaning forward on the bass drum, "So come back soon. Thank you," she said, taking the can of soda from Sam. 

"I will. Bye!" Volodya gave a wave. Sam and Abigail waved back. 

"Okay," Sam said, pulling some wads of paper out of his sweats pockets. "I've been working on this riff for awhile and I finally put some lyrics to it."

"Let's hear it," said Abigail, spinning both drumsticks in one hand. She stopped and held them in advance. "I'll see if I can put a beat to it."

Sam sat down on the couch and picked up the guitar again. He began strumming a few chords, and then worked into a fingerpicking routine. It was awkward and slow as he played the new melody. After trying to get the notes right, he stopped, rustling through his stack of folded papers. "I think I wrote it down."

"What's that on the coffee table?" Sebastian spoke up. "Is that a headlamp?"

"Oh, shit," Sam said, looking up. He set his guitar aside and picked up the device. "Is it okay if I run this out to him?" he said, giving Sebastian an Abigail an apologetic look. "He's going to get lost in the dark."

Abigail grinned at him for a minute. "Go," she said, ushering him out with a flick of her wrist. 

"I don't get it," Sebastian complained as soon as he was gone, "How long have they known each other?"

"Sam really likes him. I think they're cute together," Abigail said thoughtfully. "Unless you're jealous of him having an new best friend."

"What? No," Sebastian defended, folding his arms. "I just don't feel comfortable extending our friend circle to people we don't know."

"We could get to know him," Abigail said with a shrug.

"But that's the thing, like we already know each other, we have a good thing going. But some guy comes along and makes Sam gay, and--"

"Woah, you did not just say that," Abigail said, setting down her soda can.

"Say what?" Sam asked, walking in the front door. "What'd I miss?"

"Sebastian doesn't like that you're gay," Abigail blurted out to Sebastian's dismay. 

"That's not what meant!" Sebastian defended, his face turning read. "I was just saying it's weird, is all."

Sam grew quiet. He slowly moved to the couch and sat down, taking the guitar in his lap. "You think it's weird?" he said finally in a small voice.

"No," Sebastian replied in a more sympathetic none. "We've known you're...for a while, I just didn't think It would happen like this."

"You knew I liked guys, so...you didn't think I would get a boyfriend?" Sam had pulled his legs in to sit crossed legged, clutching his guitar close to his body. 

Sebastian didn't answer. Abigail glanced between them in anticipation. After some time, she pulled out her drumsticks and started hammering out a beat.

Sebastian was immediately caught off guard; the expression from before had melted off his face. Sam listened to her, slowly nodding along. He slung the guitar strap over his shoulders and played a few notes, the beginning of their headliner song. He slid off the couch, strumming the riffs leading up to the chorus.

Sebastian sat back and watched them play the main melody of the song, Sam and Abigail playing off of each other, keeping time. When the chorus stopped to lead into the piano solo, they looked to him expectantly. He waited a few moments, Abigail and Sam unsure if he would continue. But then his hands spread across the keys to play the first chord. A smile grew on Abigail's face as she watched him play the soulful tune. As he finished the melody, she started the beat again, and sam swooped in with the chorus again. Together, they played the rest of the song, the three of them ending on the same note. 

The rest of practice went as normal; they practiced a few more songs, adding in a few covers. Towards the evening, the three of them were laying around on the couch and chairs, drinking soda talking about town gossip. 

"Oh, Marnie and Lewis are definitely doing it," said Abigail, leaning back in the one armchair. "He came into the store last week asking if we had any truffle oil."

"Maybe he wanted to cook with it," Sam conceded, although his grin showing through indicated how likely he thought that was the case.

"They have been acting close," Sebastian noted. "They're always talking at the saloon." He was pensive. "Maybe she's filling the void after the old farmer passed? I think they were good friends."

"Yeah, you're right," Sam agreed. "I don't remember a whole lot about him. Old man Vladimir."

"Didn't he use to live in this house?" Abigail looked around. "He passed peacefully in his sleep. Maybe he's still here." Her face lit up.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Abi, you don't mean--"

"Yes." She was smiling wide now, leaning forward on the arm of her chair. "Let's have a seance."

"Wait, really? You think the place might be haunted?" Sam glanced around the room with a nervous smile.

Abigail jumped up. "We can do it right now. All we need is something of his. There's gotta be something around here..."

Sam stood up to help her look. "I think most of the furniture was here when he moved in. Like that thing," he said, pointing to a model sailboat, sitting on a lone shelf with dust. It looked forlorn as it stood somewhat askew on the platform. 

"I don't see why not." Abigail plucked the figure from its place. "Now we just have to make an inviting atmosphere. Do you think there are any candles around?"

"I don't think I've seen any. Hey, Sebastian?" 

Sebastian looked up from the second kitchen drawer he had opened. "What?"

"Dude, what are you doing?" Sam asked, standing awkwardly a few feet away. 

"Looking for candles?" Sebastian didn't sound so sure as he said it.

Sam looked to Abigail for support. "Yeah, Sebastian, you're just going through the farmer's stuff without asking," she chimed in.

"Oh, right, sorry." Sebastian closed the drawer, sheepishly grabbing his elbow behind his back. 

"Okay," Abigail said definitively. "Let's set up the space on the floor." She pulled at a blanket on the back of the couch. "Do you think we could borrow this?"

Sam nodded, and he helped her spread the fabric out on the floor. Sebastian placed the ship in the middle, and together they sat down in a circle. 

"I'll be the medium. Um, Sam, get the lights," Abigail suggested.

"Okay." He sauntered over to the light switch. Suddenly, the room was plunged into darkness. 

"Are we really--" Sebastian's voice was quieted as Abigail turned on the flashlight feature of her phone. She laid it in front of her, the shadows giving her face a skeletal quality. She held out her hands. "Let's begin."

Sam sat down, and the three of them joined hands. He looked around. "What do we--"

"Shh," Abigail quieted. "Repeat after me. Any spirits we invite you, any demons we refuse you."

Sebastian laughed. "This is going to go well," he muttered under his breath, but Abigail elbowed him in the side. "Fine."

They uttered the words three times. The air felt cold, a gust of wind sounding outside. 

"Now," Abigail. "Spirit of Farmer Vladimir. May you enter this place and speak through me if you wish to do so--"

Suddenly, the light went out. The three of them were silent in shock, and Abigail found herself unsure what to do. Her voice was timid as she spoke. "I...I think I forgot my phone was on low battery."

"Are you sure?" Sam stirred, his voice sounding equally uncomfortable. 

"I don't know."

Again another silence. Abigail waited, feeling the empty void of the dark house. 

Suddenly a creaking sound echoed from across the room, and a bright white light flooded in, blinding the three of them. Abigail jumped an foot in the air as Sam yelped, Sebastian too stunned to say anything. 

The lights turned on, and Volodya was standing in the front doorway. He turned off the headlamp that was strapped to his head. "What are you guys doing in the dark?"

"Oh, Yoba, it's just you," Sam said, standing up. As he moved towards Volodya, Abigail realized she was clutching Sebastian's arm with both hands. Sebastian noticed her, too, and they quickly separated. 

"Yeah, it's me." Volodya said with a grin as Sam greeted him with a quick hug. "Is everything okay?"

"We were just having a seance," Abigail explained, standing up and smoothing out her dress. "Do you still have your grandfather's ashes by any chance?"

"My family took them to scatter along the coast back in the old country," said Volodya, still keeping a hand on the small of Sam's back. "What, are you trying to bring him back from the dead?"

"Just talk to him." Abigail said, folding her arms. "That's too bad. It would be easier if we had his essence with us."

"Don't tell me you believe in ghosts," Volodya said with a laugh. 

"It was some spooky shit," Sam admitted. "Even Sebastian was scared."

"Really?" Volodya inquired. 

Everyone looked to Sebastian, who was sitting still on the blanket.

Sebastian just stared blankly into space. "Let's just order takeout already," he said.

***

"I used to work at Joja," Volodya said, sitting on the couch and eating phad thai with chopsticks from a takeout container. He had cleaned up for his guests, having taken a shower and changed clothes. Abigail sat in the armchair next to him, and Sebastian had taken to sitting on the floor with his udon on the coffee table. Sam had gone into the kitchen to get some napkins. 

Abigail slurped up a rice noodle. "Really? Like at one of their stores in Zuzu?"

"No, at corporate." He laughed upon seeing Abigail's surprise. 

"You? At a desk job?" She was is in shock. "I would have thought you were born in those overalls."

"Yep. That was me, getting on the subway every morning in a stuffy dress shirt so I could put in my 9 to 5." He looked up as Sam handed him a napkin a la paper towel. "Thanks."

Sam plopped down on the couch next to him, and he shifted so that his legs stretched across Volodya's lap. "Is this right? Is this how to boyfriend?"

Volodya smiled, closing his eyes and dropping his chin slightly. "Yes. Exactly." He stretched an arm around Sam's shoulders. 

Sam grinned. He glanced down at Sebastian, whose movement had stiffened slightly.

"Wait," said Volodya, his eyes brandishing an idea. "I want to see how may gross couple things we can get away with." He set down the phad thai and picked up a noodle. Biting one end, he held the other out for Sam.

Sam bit the noodle and sucked it into his mouth. The two of them brought their faces close, leading into a kiss. Volodya leaned onto Sam as they wrapped their arms around each other, enjoying the face-on-face contact. 

"Ew! Get a room!" Abigail called out as they finally pulled away. 

"We live here, you get a room!" Volodya retorted back. Sam snickered at that. 

"Hey," Abigail said, changing the subject. She had noticed Sebastian's discomfort. "Do you think it would be possible for us to go down in the mines sometime?"

"Sure," Volodya said, keeping one arm around Sam, who had picked up a carton of fried rice and began to dig in with a fork. "You'll need a sword, for starters. I'd let you borrow my glow ring, but I lost it."

"What about the headlamp?" Abigail asked. "I guess, unless you need it."

"Yeah," Volodya said, lost in thought. 

"We have them at Joja Mart," Sam chimed in. "I saw we got them in, and I told Volodya, like, dude, you need one of these."

Volodya turned to him with a maudlin grin on his face. "I've never had anyone steal from me before." Sam laughed at that. 

"I guess I could take you along the next time I go in," Volodya offered. "What all are you looking for?"

"I want to see some monsters up close. Or at least get an idea of the environment."

"Some of the lower levels could be dangerous," Volodya explained. "I guess it depends on your comfort level."

"Sure," said Abigail, practically glowing with excitement. "Let's start somewhere easier and we can go from there."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I want to go," Sebastian blurted out. The rest of the group turned to him in surprise. "I think it would be good. For our research for the monster."

Volodya frowned. "Sure, you can come." He turned to Sam. "Sam?"

Sam held his hand up. "I'm good as far as going into spooky caves is concerned."

"Fair enough." Volodya smiled and gave him a playful poke in the shoulder. 

***

Later that night, Sam climbed into bed next to Volodya after his friends had gone home. He put a hand on his partner's shoulder, wondering if he was still awake.

"Hey," Volodya whispered under the light of the bedside lamp. 

"We succeeded in pissing off my mom," he said, placing his chin on that shoulder. "You should have heard what she had to say when we went to pick up the band stuff."

"Mmm." Volodya rolled over, gazing into his eyes. "What did she say?"

"Something about how she supports me, but also I'm abandoning her and my brother. It's complete bullshit."

Volodya sat up slightly, leaning on one elbow on his pillow. He gazed back at Sam with quiet eyes. "And you're okay?"

Sam met his gaze. "Yeah," he said though it were obvious. There was a short pause. "No," he concluded, rolling backward and falling onto his pillow.

Volodya said nothing, just watched him in the dim light.

"Sebastian's mad at me."

Volodya's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Sam closed his eyes, his head shaking slightly. "It's dumb. He didn't want to admit it, but he doesn't like that we're dating.

Volodya visibly deflated as he exhaled. "Shit, dude. And he's like your best friend, too."

Sam rubbed his face in distress. 

A brief realization hit Volodya's face. "That's why you were acting more showy earlier? About us being a couple, I mean. You wanted to get back at him?"

"I don't want to get back at him or anything," Sam said, tilting his head. "But you're right, though, it's like I did."

"So what do you want to do?" Volodya asked. His voice was a soft murmur.

"I don't know. No," he corrected himself again, staring up at the ceiling. "What do I want to do? I want to stay here." He sat up slowly, his eyes level with Volodya's. "I want to finish my set list with Abigail and Sam. I want to help you feed the chickens in the morning. That sounds really cheesy, doesn't it?"

Volodya took his hand. "It's not cheesy. Or it's about as cheesy as me saying I want to wake up next to you and I want to watch your band perform...if that's the case, I guess we're both dumb."

Sam laughed, their hands moving up and down as his wrist rested on his stomach. "Do you want to be dumb together?"

Volodya laughed along with him, sliding close to him, his hand on Sam's chest. As soon as the laughter died down, it started up again, the laughter shared between them becoming a physical feeling. 

Sam ran a hand through the dark curls on Volodya's head. "Vlo'," he mumbled. 

Volodya grinned. "It's kind of cute when you call me that. But I swear if it were anyone else..."

"Ooh, I'm special," Sam teased, causing Volodya to roll his eyes. Sam took his partner's hand close to his mouth and kissed it. "Your secret's safe with me. Vlo."

"Okay, that's really hot," the farmer admitted.

"What?"

"The way you're looking at me right now."

Sam continued his half lidded gaze over Volodya's knuckles. "What, like this?" He grinned facetiously. 

"Yes like that." 

They stared at each other however seriously for a whole second before falling into another fit of laughter. 

"Goodnight, Vlo."

"Goodnight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Thanks for reading the update, y'all been leaving kudos and I love you guys. I'll be back again on Sunday for another update, so see you then!


	10. Attack

It was a bright, sunny day as Volodya pushed the door open to Pierre's shop.

"Hey, it's the farmer!" Pierre called from the back. "What can I help you find?"

"Just looking," Volodya said, waving a hand. He lied. He needed to find fertilizer and was too polite to ask.

As he was passing by the aisles, checking each one for garden supplies, he passed Jodi by the canned peas. Milliseconds after making eye contact, he had the idea to pretend he hadn't seen her, but it was too late.

"Volodya, hi!" She waved in a friendly manner.

"Hi, Jodi," he said, calmly approaching her. "How're you?"

"Good, good," she said, shifting the shopping basket under her arm. "How's life on the farm?"

"Couldn't be better," he uttered, his lips barely moving. There was an awkward silence between them.

Jodi flashed another smile. "I assuming you're coming for Sam's birthday in a couple days? We always do a special family dinner."

"Oh, I thought Abigail and Sebastian had something planned. But that's cool, too," he attempted in consolation. This interaction was heightening his anxiety and he needed an out. There, at the end of the aisle, bags of fertilizer were lined up along the wall. His eyes lit up. "Excuse me," he said, moving past her.

"But you'll come to dinner?" she said, grabbing his arm, causing him to back towards her.

His eyes made contact with hers again. "I don't know. I'll think about it."

Jodi said nothing, her lips still curled into a smile. Volodya gave a nod and stepped away from her.

"Why are you taking my son from me?!"

The words were whispered in a tense aggression. Volodya whipped his head around to see the woman standing before him with an expression of disgust on her face.

He swallowed uncomfortably. "I have to go." And with that, he walked away as she stood there, unable to intervene any further.

***

As Volodya approached the farmhouse, he dropped the bags of fertilizer by the front steps. He stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking out over the rows of crops, a few of empty soil that needed to be replanted. Over in the yard, the chickens clucked as the milled about.

Volodya took a deep breath and climbed the stairs up the front porch.

Inside the house, the kitchen was a mess of flour and recently used bowls and measuring cups. Sam set down a mixing bowl and wiped his hands off on his sweatpants as he pulled up a recipe on his phone.

"What are you up to?" Volodya inquired, his spirits lifted as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey!" Sam looked up. "Can you hold this?"

"Okay," said Volodya, taking the phone from him. A recipe was open on the screen.

"Not that," Sam said, still holding his hand out.

Volodya looked down at his hand and laughed as he took it, their fingers clasping around each other.

Sam chuckled. "That was too easy," he said, giving Volodya a kiss on the cheek. Volodya couldn't help but smile

"What are you making?" Volodya asked as Sam returned to what he was doing.

"Just pancakes. I'm trying to make them from scratch."

"Okay," said Volodya, looking at the recipe.

"I think it said two eggs," Sam remarked, taking one from the counter and cracking it on the side of the mixing bowl. A few pieces of shell slid into the bowl. "Crap."

"I didn't know there was eggs in pancakes," said Volodya. He scrolled on Sam's phone. "Oh. There is."

"I've only made it from the instant mix," Sam explained, digging the shell pieces out of the bowl with his fingers.

"Me either, I guess," Volodya said, setting the phone on the counter, which he turned to lean on casually. "I just ran into your mom at the store."

"Oh, really? How is she?" Sam took a whisk and began mixing the ingredients.

"Good, I think. Well, I don't know." Volodya gazed absently down at the floor. "She had this kind of outburst where she accused me of stealing you from her."

Sam spun towards him. "Really?" In his haste, he had flicked the whisk, getting some batter on his own face. "She said that to you?"

Volodya's eyes met his. "Something like that. It was kind of scary, like it came out of nowhere."

"Shit, dude, I'm sorry." Sam set the bowl down. "I've never seen her do something like that. Well, scolding me and Vince as kids, but that was when I was a kid doing a lot of dumb shit. I don't think I've ever seen her act that way towards anyone else."

Volodya breathed deeply. "Okay."

Sam rinsed his hands off in the sink. "You know what, fuck it, I'm going to call her right now."

"You don't have to do that," said Volodya. "I'm fine, I just wanted to let you know."

"She shouldn't...she shouldn't treat you like that!" Sam picked up his phone and pulled up a chair at the kitchen table. "I'm going to call her."

Volodya sat down next to him as he dialed the number. As he waited, listening for the ring, Volodya reached over and wiped the spot of batter from Sam's face. Sam closed his eyes, a silent grin on his face. As he heard his mother's voice, his face fell and his eyes burst open.

"Mom, hi. Did you talk to Volodya today?"

Volodya watched as Sam nodded, listening to her.

"What did you say to him?"

He pursed his lips as he heard her response.

"Okay, well, whatever it was you said to him freaked him out. You don't have to like who I choose to be my partner, but he's my boyfriend and you can't treat him that way."

Sam glanced over at Volodya with raised eyebrows. "Well, um. No, Mom--" He was cut off by her several times in the conversation. "We're going bowling in Zuzu with Seb and Abi for my birthday. Uh-huh. Okay, how about I'll invite him? Problem solved. Okay. Love you," he answered before finally hanging up.

"What'd she say?" Volodya asked flatly.

"It was so dumb. She acted like nothing happened. Except I agreed to let Vince come with us on my birthday. Which is fine, it's what I should have done anyway." He sighed as he set his phone down on the table.

Volodya reached across the table and took his hand. "It's hard."

Sam nodded, and they stayed silent for a few minutes.

Finally, Volodya grinned. "You said I'm your boyfriend."

Sam covered his eyes with one hand, laughing. "Yeah? Aren't you?"

"I know, but I just like to hear you say it," Volodya said, leaning with his elbows on the table, enjoying watching Sam crack up.

"Hey now," Sam teased. "Don't let it go to your head."

"Sure thing." Volodya kept his gaze as he took Sam's hand and gently kissed his knuckles. "Boyfriend."

Sam grinned, rolling his eyes. He stood up from his chair. "If you don't mind, I'm going to make us some pancakes."

Volodya beamed from behind the kitchen table. "I'd like that. Boyfriend." He heard Sam crack up again.

***

As the alarm went off, Sam rolled over and threw an arm to hit snooze. He immediately dozed back to sleep.

A few minutes passed and the beeping resumed. He hit the switched, picking up the alarm clock to squint at the red lettering in the dark. 7:10. He spread his limbs across the empty bed, staring up at the ceiling. The air was perfectly silent, not so much as a rustle of leaves from the tree outside the bedroom window. In a second deep breath, he pulled himself up and started to get dressed.

The sky was a gray-blue dawn as he stepped outside. He slipped on some old rain boots he had borrowed from home, a suggestion Volodya had made so he wouldn't have to keep putting his converse in the washer. They made a clunky sound as he jogged down the porch steps onto earthy gravel. He reached the gate outside the coop and it creaked as he unlatched it and it swung open, and he looked up in silence.

The door to the coop had been pulled off its hinges, a gaping hole in the side of the structure leading into a quiet darkness.

Sam stepped into the building, reaching around in the dark until he found a cord. The central light flickered on, and he could see now the space was littered with feathers, not a single chicken in sight. The whole scene felt strange, like someone had taken the coop in their hands and shaken it up. He turned around, about to head back to the house when he heard something.

As he approached the hole in the wall, he heard the soft cry again. Using his phone as a flashlight, he peered down at what seemed to be a tiny, frightened orange kitten.

***

As Sam exited out the back door to Joja mart after his shift ended, he pulled out his phone to check the group chat with Sebastian and Abigail.

Sebastian: What do you mean the door was pulled off???  
Sam: Yea  
Sam: Hang on my break's over  
Sebastian: Wait  
Sebastian: Did you take a pic? Can you send?  
Abigail: Just woke up and saw this  
Abigail: Sam can we meet when your shift gets done at noon?  
Sam: Just got off I'll head over now

Sam slipped the phone into his pocket and made his way to Pierre's store. As he approached the building, Abigail rushed out.

"Sam!" She said, surprised to see him. "What happened? I just saw your texts, like there was an attack on the farm?!"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "I just went to feed the chickens like I normally do, and they weren't there."

"Wow," Abigail said, her jaw hanging open. "Can we go over there?"

"Sure. I'll text Seb."

They walked to the farm, and as they approached the property, it felt strange. The sun was shining brightly as usual, birds were chirping in the trees. It was as though nothing had happened, apart from the damage to the coop.

"Oh, wow," Abigail said upon seeing the supposed crime scene. She quickened her pace to the fence around the chicken yard. "I don't think that would happen just from like, the wind or something. What did Volodya say?"

"I don't know," Sam said, jogging to catch up with her. "I haven't seen him."

She spun on her heel to give him a skeptical look. "You haven't seen your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged. "He's always out and about. And he gets up earlier than me, at like 6. Why, do you think it's weird?"

"No, I just..." she glanced over at the coop again, leaning on the fence with one arm. "Do you think if he saw something earlier he would have said something?"

"Maybe?"

They turned their attention as Sebastian approached from the country road.

"You made it!" Abigail called out to him. "Come look at this."

"Look at what?" Sebastian said dryly. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the damaged building.

"You see?!" Abigail said in response. "What do you think could have done that? Is it our monster?"

"I don't know." He turned to Sam. "Can we take a look inside?"

"Go ahead," Sam said, gesturing with his arm.

The three of them made their way into the coop. Abigail seemed somewhat frightened at the amount of feathers littering the area. Sebastian retained a mild look of disgust.

"Oh!" Sam said, noticing the block of hay on the ground. "They hardly ate anything since yesterday."

"Is that normal?" Sebastian wondered aloud. "When do you think this happened?"

"They could have just grazed from the yard instead," Sam said thoughtfully. "Or maybe they knew the attack was coming. One thing about animals is they know when something's up." He gave a humourless laugh.

"I don't know, this whole thing gives me the creeps," said Abigail. "Let's go back outside."

As they walked through the chicken yard, Sebastian grimaced as he got mud on his sneakers.

"Worried about your all-black outfit getting stains?" Abigail teased.

"No, it's just annoying." His expression changed as he noticed something on the ground. "Guys?"

"What, did you step in--" Sam's jaw fell open as his eye caught the scene. An enormous footprint was pressed into the mud. "Was that there before?!"

Abigail knelt down to the mark. "What is that, a bear? Wolf? Doesn't look human to me."

"Let me get a picture," said Sebastian, pulling out his phone. "Maybe hold out your hand for comparison.

As Abigail crouched by the footprint, she held out her hand. The print was easily twice as along, if not more. Deep trails led into the mud at the ends of the digits. "Yoba, just imagine the claws on that," she remarked.

"Got it," said Sebastian, sending the photo to the group chat. "We should check the area for clues."

"You mean the farm?" Sam asked.

Abigail glanced at him sideways. "Is that okay, Sam?"

"I don't see why not," he said with a shrug.

***

The group made a brief walk about the property, taking an hour or two. They stopped to rest near the south end of the farm.

"The place is so big, we could have missed something, easily," Abigail said as Sam plopped down onto a tree stump, taking a breath.

"You're right," Sebastian agreed, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "We can spend more time, but I'm not sure of our diminishing returns--"

He was cut off as Abigail gave a quick screech. "What's that?"

Sam looked down to where she was pointing at the base of the stump. A chicken foot was sticking out of the grass. He stood up. "Sebastian!"

"What?" Sebastian answered.

"No, not you," Sam explained, kneeling by the foot. "The chicken's name is Sebastian Jr. The others were Sam and Abigail. It's kind of a funny story, actually--"

"Wait, you can tell the chickens apart?" Abigail inquired with some doubt.

"You can tell by the coloring," Sam said. He carefully picked it up. "You spend some time with them, you kind of learn which one is which."

"This kind of supports our theory that it's the monster," Sebastian reasoned. "I don't think that leg walked here on its own."

Abigail took the foot from Sam and examined it. "Creepy."

***

"I think it looks more like a wolf's, but the fact that there are five fingers means it's more likely a bear," Sebastian said, scrolling through google images. Sam leaned in to get a better look as they sat behind the computer in Sebastian's room.

"Could it still be the shadow brute?" Abigail suggested. She held up the picture on her phone as she flipped through the library book as she sat on Sebastian's old couch. "I'm looking at the photo, like maybe the lower part would mean more human-ish characteristics?"

"I thought we established those are slow moving," Sebastian called back without looking up from his computer. "Although...the lack of evidence would suggest more human levels of intelligence. An alien?"

"What if it's just another wild animal?" Sam wondered. "Like the one that attacked Marnie's cow."

"You could be right," Sebastian said, spinning around in his desk chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together in thought. "We never said that incident was related to the time I saw the monster at the lake. Actually. The height of the monster...I can imagine it would make tracks that size." He swiveled back to look at the photos of bear prints.

"Well," said Abigail, snapping the book closed. "I haven't eaten all day."

"I second that," said Sam, and they headed upstairs to heat up some hot pockets in the microwave.

As they waited around the kitchen, Abigail made a face. "So, this is normal?" she asked, turning to Sam. "We spent a whole afternoon wandering around the farm, and Volodya wasn't there?"

"Like I said, he goes off places during the day." Sam ate a handful of cheetos and licked his fingers clean. He stepped aside as Maru walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water from the sink. "He could be in the mines; he doesn't have cell service there."

"I just think it's weird that Volodya just happens to be absent at the same time it happened," Abigail explained. The microwave beeped, and she punched the button to open the door. "You aren't worried about him?"

"He's generally pretty capable," Sam said with a grin. "You don't know him like I do."

"Are you guys talking about the farmer?" Maru interjected.

"Not really, just something that happened on the farm," Sebastian said dismissively.

"Oh," Maru said, turning off the faucet. "Because he was just admitted to the clinic earlier. He's been on life support since this morning."

The room suddenly went silent. Sam was the first to react, turning to run towards the front door. Sebastian and Abigail needed only to exchange a quick glance before following after him.

***

As Sam made it into the door of the clinic, Harvey was milling about the waiting room, watering some plants. He looked up with mild interest.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Volodya's here?" Sam blurted out, his voice breathy from his long run.

Harvey's posture straightened. "Yes. His condition was critical, but he's stable. I'm afraid visiting hours are over, so you'll have to--"

"I need to see him now," Sam pleaded. "Is he okay?"

"Yes," Harvey repeated, his tone showing a slight annoyance. "He sustained several lacerations, but like I said, his condition is stable. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see him, hospital policy. Family only."

As Sam's jaw hung open, at a loss for words, Abigail stepped beside him. "That's bullshit!" she protested. "Sam, tell him!"

"Tell him what?" Sam said, sounding more discouraged. "I'm not family."

"You're close enough," Abigail argued. She turned to Harvey. "And why can't they let the three of us into see him, even if it's only for a few minutes?"

Harvey shook his head. "Again, it's hospital policy. You can't see him outside of visiting hours, and he's still unconscious."

Sam grit his teeth. "What if he wakes up overnight? He's just supposed to wake in the hospital, alone?"

"His girlfriend is with him," Harvey said, moving on to water another plant.

Sam looked like someone had just slapped him in the face. "His...what?!?"

"Penny?" The doctor glanced up. "She's the one who brought him in."

If his confusion wasn't enough before, Sam was beyond words now.

"That's really weird," Abigail remarked. "I didn't realize they even knew each other."

"She knew everything about him," Harvey said, setting down the watering can. "Date of birth, blood type..."

"Doc, that's impossible," Sam finally spoke up. He gave a preposterous laugh. "He can't have a girlfriend. I would know, I'm his...friend."

"Girlfriend? Didn't you just say it's hospital policy that only family can visit him?" Sebastian pointed out. Sam was surprised when he hadn't noticed his friend at his side.

Harvey gave an apologetic grimace. "I know. I kind of bent the rules slightly. She's basically the closest family he has in town, and she seemed so upset, I didn't see the need to turn her away."

Abigail looked to her friend, who was clearly distressed. "Sam?"

"What time does the clinic open?" he asked Harvey.

"Nine. I can leave a note with Maru to let his friends in to see him if that helps." Harvey gave an expression that was almost sympathetic.

"This is so dumb," Abigail said, shaking her head.

Sam took a deep breath. "I guess, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all, will be back next week with another update. Thanks for leaving kudos, feel free to comment.


	11. Waking Up

Volodya breathed in the smell of clean sheets. He smiled and rolled over, pawing at the hand on his knee. He reached for the soft hand, interlacing its fingers in his as his eyelids slowly opened. 

His vision focused on the person seated beside his bed, and suddenly, he shrank his hand away. 

"Who are you?"

The girl gave him a kind smile. "You don't remember?" Her voice was as soft as a bell. "It's me, Penny."

Volodya pressed his hand to his side as he sat up. An IV tube tugged at his arm, and he felt pains shift around in his limbs. He didn't take his eyes off her, more as a cautionary measure. 

"Where's Sam?" he murmured. For some reason, this was the only thing that bothered him, never mind the sharp pain in his abdomen and the fact that he appeared to be in some sort of medical facility. 

"You should rest," said the young woman, taking his hand in hers again. "I'll go let the doctor know you woke up."

Volodya blinked, laying back down on the inclined mattress. He watched in confusion as she left the room. "Are you a nurse?" he called after her.

She didn't answer, not even looking back at him as she left the room. 

A few minutes later, the woman returned with the town doctor, who had thrown on a lab coat despite the fact that he had clearly just woken up. The clock on the wall read 3am. 

"Well, Volodya, I'm glad to see you're finaly awake." His voice was slightly too loud, making Volodya's ears ring as the man approached his bed. Penny followed him in anticipation. 

"What...what happened?"

"You sustained several lacerations, lost a lot of blood. We were able to do a transfusion. Luckily, your vital organs were unharmed, but it will be some time before you can get back on your feet again." 

Volodya watched him with a concerned look as he spoke, but as Penny tried to clasp her fingers around his hand again, he quickly shot her a glance and pulled his hand away. 

"I mean, what happened to me? How did I get here?"

"Honey," Penny interrupted calmly. "I found you on the farm after you were attacked by that wild animal."

"It's a good thing she got you here so quickly," the doctor explained. "We were able to treat you right away."

Volodya shifted his knees in, giving Penny a look more of disdain than gratitude. As he shifted his weight, the sharp pain returned to his side, and he grimaced. A thick layer of bandages could be felt under his hospital gown.

"Careful there," the doctor said, lifting a hand. "You shouldn't be moving around. Why don't you lie back down and get some rest?"

Volodya did as he was told, less out of respect and more in an attempt to get the pain to stop. He curled up into fetal position, and finally took a deep breath as the pain subsided. 

"That's good," the doctor remarked. "You seem to be doing well. Call me again if you feel lightheaded or naseous, or if you suspect the bleeding has returned." He motioned to the call button on the panel by Volodya's bed. "Otherwise, I'm sure Penny can look after you--"

"No," Volodya interrupted. "I want her to leave."

The young woman seemed relatively unfazed, just kept sitting serenely by the foot of his bed as though he had said nothing.

"Are you sure?" The doctor seemed surprised. "We can call your next of kin. Your parents, perhaps--"

"NO."

The doctor was silent at his abrupt response. 

Volodya swallowed. "Does anyone else know I'm here? Sam and his friends?"

The doctor looked thoughtful. "Yes, actually, they came in earlier this evening. I told them to come back during visiting hours."

Volodya frowned. "They left?"

"Yes. Although it sounded like they would be back first thing in the morning."

Volodya sighed, closing his eyes. "I guess it's late, I don't want to bother them."

"Very well. I'll leave you to your own devices." He put a hand on Penny's shoulder. "Ma'am, I'm afraid you must go."

She stood up and nodded. "I know you need some time alone," she said, passing Volodya a maudlin smile. "Be sure to call me as soon as you're feeling better."

Volodya raised an eyebrow, utterly perplexed. He said nothing as the doctor escorted her out of the room. 

As soon as they were gone, he reached over to the side of his bed where his effects had been gathered in a pile. He plucked out his cellphone and began dialing a number. 

"Volodya. What's got you calling at this hour?"

"Hi Nick, is this a bad time? I know it's late."

"It sounds important, then it's never too late."

Volodya swallowed. "It happened again. I'm in the hospital."

"Oh no, what happened this time?"

"I don't know. Well, you know. According to the girl that brought me in, I was attacked by a wild animal. I don't know if she saw anything; I think she just found me after it happened."

"Wait, so you're in the hospital? Are you okay?!"

"Oh." Volodya went silent for a moment. "Yeah, I'm okay."

He heard a sigh of relief on the other line.

"I'm okay," Volodya repeated. "I just got cut up pretty bad, it looks like scratches?" He examined the marks on his arm. "The doctor says I'll have to stay in bed for awhile."

"Knowing you, that's going to be a challenge," said Nick with a bitter laugh.

"Yes, very funny," Volodya said. "I don't know what I'm going to do all day. I can hardly move."

"Are you going to be okay? Do you need someone to take care of you? Because I could--"

"No," Volodya cut him off. "I don't expect you to do that, Nick. I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay. Do you at least have someone who can check in on you? Some friends?"

Volodya closed his eyes. "Yeah." He groaned. "He's probably worried sick. I don't want to wake him, though."

"Who?" The tone of his voice was curious.

"My boyfriend. Um," Volodya tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "So that happened."

"I think it's nice, Volodya. I won't tease you about it."

"Thanks." He was silent for a moment. "I wonder if I should call him."

"If he cares about you, he'd probably want to know how you're doing. And knowing people your age, there's a good chance he's still up."

"Is that a commentary on your new neighbors?" Volodya asked slyly.

"No! Okay, I talked to them, they were very polite with me, and they agreed to turn the music down on weekends."

Volodya just laughed.

"Yes, I've lived up to my title of cranky old man."

"Well," Volodya concluded, "I guess I'll let you go back to sleep."

"That's very kind of you. But you're welcome to call anytime."

"Thanks, Nick."

They said their goodbyes, and he hung up. Taking a deep breath, he found Sam's contact in his phone. He pressed the call button and laid back on his pillow.

Sam picked up on the first ring. "Hello?!"

"Sam..."

"Are you okay?! Did you just wake up? What happened?!"

"I'm fine. Well, I can't move, but--"

"I'm coming over there. Vlo, I'll break in if I have to."

Volodya went to protest, but stopped himself. Instead, his voice flooded with relief. "Okay, good. Dude, I just woke up, and this weird girl was here, the doctor was saying all this stuff like 'you've been out,' and 'you've lost a lot of blood,' and there's this weird painting on the wall and I don't like it." He glanced over at the stock print of a painting of flowers in a vase that oddly reminded him of his aunt's house.

"Alright, fuck that, I'm coming over."

"Okay."

Volodya hung up and stared blankly at the ceiling. When he got the text that Sam was outside, he pressed the call button several times.

"You rang?" the doctor asked asked when he appeared at the door, yawning slightly.

"I need you to go let someone in from outside," Volodya said curtly.

The man nodded, and disappeared into the hallway. When he returned, Sam had burst through the doors in front of him.

"Volodya, you're okay," Sam breathed. Standing at the foot of his bed, both he and Volodya turned their attention to the doctor, who was still watching their interaction.

"You can go now," Volodya said, doing nothing to hide the rudeness in his voice.

"Right." The man turned on his heel and left the room.

Once he was gone, Sam nearly lept to throw his arms around him, Volodya digging his face into Sam's shoulder.

As they pulled away, Sam's face was inches in front of his. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" Sam whispered. Volodya nodded, placing a his hands on the sides of Sam's face as Sam did the same to his. Their lips met in a feeling of desperation, and the air was quiet as they held onto each other.

Volodya's voice was a murmur. "Happy birthday."

Sam glanced away, breathing a laugh. He lifted the blankets and crawled in next to him, and for a few moments they stared at each other, Sam placing a hand on Volodya's arm, Volodya placing his hand on top of Sam's.

Sam's face was red. "I feel so fucking stupid. Like you were missing all day, and Abigail kept going 'Where's the farmer?' and I kept telling her it's fine, you probably just went out somewhere."

Volodya reached out and wiped a tear from Sam's cheek. Sam stifled a laugh.

"Don't tell my brother I was crying."

"Your secret's safe with me."

Sam laughed through his tears. Volodya lifted Sam's hand and kissed it gently. Sam's eyes followed Volodya's paper hospital bracelet. His arm was covered in bandages, and one also sported the side of his forehead. From the way he was moving, Sam could tell he was in pain, that there were probably more hidden underneath his dressing gown. 

"Do you remember the attack?" Sam immediately retracted his thought. "Sorry, I don't know if it's scary to think about."

"It's okay," Volodya said calmly. "Actually, I don't remember anything."

Sam shifted in the bed. "Really? Nothing at all?"

Volodya shook his head slightly. "I remember going out that night. I had to plant some crops before the next morning." 

"I guess I don't remember you coming in that night." Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, it's like I didn't even notice you were gone."

"You shouldn't have to worry about me. You couldn't have known that was going to happen to me."

Sam took both of his hands. "Vlo, there's some wild animal on the loose. You need to be more careful."

Volodya closed his eyes, moving his lips minutely. "It's me."

Sam grazed him with curious eyes. "What was that?"

Volodya cleared his throat. "Sometimes I get these...blackouts. Like I just wake up somewhere with no recollection of what happened. I've always had them."

He felt Sam go cold. His face drained, and his hands retracted slightly. 

"Tell me..." Sam's voice was breathy as he spoke in a near whisper. "Tell me it's not alcohol. Tell me I'm not going to have to turn your house upside down looking for the stuff."

"No, it's not that."

Sam looked relieved. "Okay. We had to do that for my dad."

Volodya put a hand on Sam's shoulder, his face expressing a pain, except this time it was a pain felt for his partner. He pulled Sam into an embrace, and they stayed like that.

"So it's just medical," Sam asked.

"Yes."

Sam pulled away with a smirk. "Are you sure? Because it'd be a pretty crazy excuse as to why you have a girlfriend all of a sudden."

Volodya was clearly confused, tilting his head at an odd angle. "What?"

"Penny? When we came in yesterday, the doctor said she brought you in, said she was your girlfriend, and knew everything about you."

Volodya made an odd face. "That's...really creepy." He shifted his position slightly as he thought about it. "Yeah, it was really strange; when I woke up, she was right there. I just thought she was a nurse or something, but she kept trying to hold my hand. The doctor was going to leave me with her, but I told her to go away."

"Vlo."

"Mmmhmm?"

"You've lived here for months; how is it that you don't know everyone in town?" Sam rolled his eyes with a grin.

"I know everyone!" Volodya defended. "At least, all the important people."

"Really" Then what's the doctor's name?" Sam asked, tilting his head playfully.

Volodya bit his lip. "Har...Harley."

"Harvey, yeah," Sam encouraged him. "And that girl?"

"Penny. I think I've seen her around?" Volodya glanced at Sam. "Do you know her?"

"She's Vincent's teacher?" Sam watched Volodya's blank face. "I danced with her at the flower dance?"

A look of realization dawned on his face. "Ah, oh yeah, that was her? Okay." He laughed. "I was kind of distracted."

"I was distracted too," Sam laughed. "She was getting pretty fed up with me."

"Good," Volodya concluded. He leaned in for a kiss and Sam happily obliged, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and pulling his towards him. 

"Ow!"

Sam froze, letting go of his grip. "Are you okay?"

Volodya nodded, his eyes wincing in pain. 

Sam was unconvinced. He tugged at the strings of the hospital gown behind Volodya's neck. "Can I?"

Volodya nodded, and lifted his arms as Sam pulled down the gown to his waist, revealing the bandages along his right side. 

"Yoba..." Sam grimaced. "It's like you fell into a food processor."

Volodya nodded numbly. He felt a sudden warmth inside him as Sam placed his head on Volodya's chest, throwing his arms around him. He pulled his arms around Sam, and they lay there for awhile, Volodya's breath playing with the loose strands of hair on his boyfriend's head.

"Sam?"

There was no answer. The man on his chest was entirely asleep, and Volodya realized how tired he must have been. He felt calm, musing about life for another hour until he, too, fell asleep.

***

In the morning, Harvey walked into the hospital wing bright and early. 

"Good morning, Volodya, I'm just going to check on your vitals--"

He paused as he saw the couple stir, Sam sitting up to stretch and Volodya, with his eyes still closed, patting absently at his bare chest where Sam had once been. 

Harvey cleared his throat. The tone was weakened when he spoke again. "I'll just give you a few minutes." He left the room. 

Sam rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, dude, I didn't mean to get in your space. Here." He helped Volodya with the sleeves of his hospital gown.

"What, you're jealous of another man seeing me shirtless?" Volodya quipped sleepily. When Sam didn't answer, he opened his eyes with a more serious expression. "Sam?"

Volodya placed a hand on Sam's knee, but the other man shifted his legs and stood up.

Volodya's expression hardened. "What's wrong?"

Sam couldn't make eye contact. "I'm afraid of us being seen together," he answered in a low voice.

"Okay." Volodya watched as Sam rubbed his forehead in distress. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, I mean, he already saw us," Sam admitted, rubbing the back of his own neck.

Volodya watched with concern. Finally, he came up with a consoling remark. "I understand if--"

He was cut off by a knock on the door as Harvey re-entered the room. "Good morning, once again. I hope you slept well."

Sam stood aside as Harvey swept past him to Volodya's side. 

"I'm just going to check your pulse, and then Maru's going to help us change your bandages." He pressed his stethoscope to Volodya's chest. "Breathe in for me."

Volodya did as he was told, but he couldn't help but glance up at Sam, noticing how uncomfortable he was. 

"Can you sit up?" 

Clutching his elbow behind his back, Sam blankly stared at a spot on the floor as Harvey listened to the farmer's breath through his back. He was nearly startled as Maru entered with a cart containing bandages and other medical supplies. 

"Okay," Harvey said as Volodya laid back on the reclined mattress. "Everything looks great so far. Now I'm going to have to remove the bandages and examine the wounds for signs of infection." He glanced over at Sam. "I don't know if you want your friend to stay."

Sam looked up. "Me? Um," he trailed off.

"Sam," Volodya said calmly. "Do you really want to stay?"

Sam pursed his lips. "I guess not." 

He glanced around the room, and to Volodya's surprise, he stepped forward and leaned down to kiss Volodya on the forehead. Then, pulling away slightly, their eyes met, and he ducked in for a full-on kiss. 

"See you in a bit," he said, and without another word, he left the room, leaving a tiny smile on his boyfriend's face. 

The rest of the check up went smoothly, albeit awkward as Harvey and Maru kept quiet for most of it. Once Volodya's wounds were dressed again, Maru went to let Sam know he could return. 

Harvey looked rather astonished. "There are no signs of infection, which is a small miracle. Either the antibiotics did their work, or you're just extremely lucky for an animal attack."

Volodya shrugged. 

"It will be a week or so until we can take the stitches out. I think you'll be able to go home tomorrow, and then I'd like to see you start moving around, of course avoiding strenuous exercise." 

Volodya tuned him out when he looked up and saw Sam cautiously re-enter the room. He silently approached Volodya and they reached for each other's hands. 

"That's about it," Harvey concluded. "Maru will come check on you in a few hours." He turned to leave, but paused and faced the couple again, looking sheepish. "I want to apologize about earlier," he said, as Sam and Volodya's attention shifted towards him. "I shouldn't have assumed--based on my interaction with Penny, I was led to believe she had a greater...relation to you. And Sam, I should have let you in sooner. It makes sense."

Volodya's expression was flat. "What do you mean, 'it makes sense.'"

Harvey pursed his lips in an uncomfortable expression. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll leave you two, now; don't hesitate to call if you need anything." 

Volodya raised his eyebrows, but otherwise remained stoic. After he was gone, Sam turned to him with a similar expression. "That was weird."

"I'm so tired of dealing with people like that," Volodya muttered, shaking his head.

Sam interlaced his fingers in Volodya's as their hands rested on his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." His voice was quieter, softer. "He said everything looks good."

Sam nodded. "That's great." 

As he glanced away, Volodya gently tugged at his hand. "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I feel a lot of things all at once." Volodya moved aside so Sam could sit down on the bed next to him. Instead, he lied down starting at the base of the incline, so his arm holding Volodya's could drape above his head as he glanced up at his lover. He grinned. "I'm thinking how exhiliarating it is to kiss you in public."

Volodya laughed. "I don't think anyone was expecting that." He pulled Sam's hand to his mouth and kissed it. "You're brave."

"I was just thinking about how I could have lost you, and shit, life is short, you've got to make the most of it."

"Well, fuck yeah," Volodya said, his face feeling hot beneath the smile.

Sam tilted his head up, glancing up at Volodya with a grin. As he played with Volodya's hand, he pulled it to rest on his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I meant this fic to be all spooky and supernatural, but it turned out to be mostly fluff. Oops. Anyway, thanks for reading, as always I will be back next week with another update.


	12. Things Return to Normal

"It's so good to go be out of there," Volodya said, breathing in the fresh air as he and Sam stepped outside the clinic. The midday air was warm, the sky partly cloudy. "I'm ready to go home."

"Yeah, I bet," Sam said. He slung Volodya's backpack over his shoulder and they started walking down the country road. "It's been pretty quiet on the farm."

Volodya nodded, looking at his feet as he stepped carefully across the gravel. Sam had brought him a fresh change of clothes, and he was still a bit shaky, but for the most part, he was walking fine. "How was bowling yesterday?"

"Ugh," Sam grinned and rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't believe it. Vincent beat all of us. It was good, though. We went to a pizza place my dad used to take me when I was a kid."

"What's it called?" Volodya asked. "Maybe I've been there."

"Mama Luigi's?"

Volodya shook his head. "Now I remember. When I lived in Zuzu I was working all the time at my old desk job, and I never got out much."

"Really? You never went to concerts or anything?" Sam reminisced. "They have a good music scene."

"A couple concerts," Volodya said thoughtfully. "Although, if your band was playing, I would definitely go."

"Then, I guess my band's gotta play sometime," Sam said with a laugh.

Volodya grinned, and grabbed Sam's hand. Sam squeezed back, not even pausing to see if anyone was around to see them.

As they reached the farm, Volodya immediately made a beeline for the crops. He knelt down by a row of melons. "These should be ready to harvest in a few days," he said, looking pleased. He dusted off his jeans as he stood up. "By the way, thanks for watching the chickens for me while I was out. Well, and for always."

"Um," Sam's expression faltered. "About the chickens..."

Volodya snapped his head around towards the coop. He blinked in the sunlight at the empty yard. "What...what happened to the chickens?" His voice was less audible.

"They've been missing since, well, since you've been missing," Sam explained, deep lines of apology on his face. "Whatever it was must have got 'em."

Volodya's face went blank, his mouth hung slightly open. After a moment lost in thought, he put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Let's go inside."

Once inside the house, Sam set Volodya's backpack on a chair in the kitchen. "I was going to make some quesadillas," he said, opening the fridge. "Are you hungry? I bet you're tired of hospital food."

Volodya collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table and made a clasped his hands together in a pleading motion. "My savior."

Sam laughed. He pulled out the ingredients on the counter and flipped a frying pan on the stove. Once the quesadillas were cooking, he sat down next to Volodya.  
"I'm sorry about what happened to the chickens. It really sucked going in there that morning."

Volodya just nodded. "Yeah. That's life on the farm, though. Some things just happen like that."

Sam took his boyfriend's hand, idly playing with his thumb. "I bet you'll look really hot with all those scars."

"Just adding to my collection," Volodya grinned. "It's too bad I was in the hospital, we missed out on some hot birthday sex."

Sam giggled, and he leaned in for them to share a messy kiss, feeling Volodya's breath on his lip as he laughed. As Volodya leaned forward, his chair shifted slightly underneath him, and Sam grasped his shoulders to steady him.

"Ah," Volodya gasped faintly as Sam touched his wound.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Sam said, immediately pulling his hands away. "I'm gonna go check on the quesadillas."

Volodya nodded, watching him walk away. "Actually, I never gave you your present. Hang on," he said, standing up.

He made his way across the living room, but just as Sam placed the quesadillas on a plate, he looked up with urgency.

"Oh! Careful when you--"

As soon as the door had opened a crack, an orange kitten slid out, mewing several times as it began to explore the room.

"Strawberry!" Sam rushed over to the small animal.

He knelt beside it as Volodya stood still in surprise. He picked it up as its claws tracked across the floor.

"C'mere," Sam cooed, holding it in his arm, scratching behind its ear with one finger. "We have to keep her in an enclosed area."

"What the--where did she come from?" Volodya asked, following Sam into the bedroom.

"I found her," Sam replied without further explanation. He set the kitten down on the bed, and she began to tentatively sniff the covers. "I named her Strawberry. What do you think?"

"That's so...cute," Volodya concluded, his expression easing. "Sorry, I'm not really used to cats."

"She's been really sweet," Sam said, sitting next to the cat as she finally found a place to curl up. "You'll like her. Probably."

Volodya folded his arms. "I don't know..."

Sam picked up her front paws and put on a falsetto voice. "Please don't kick me out, I have nowhere to go." Strawberry meowed as he put her down.

Volodya sighed and knelt down by the bed. He held out his hand and the cat stretched out her neck to sniff it, rubbing her cheeks along his fingers. "Aww," he said in a very quiet voice.

"I knew you'd get along!" Sam smiled with satisfaction. "I was excited when I found her. I haven't had a cat since our family's old cat Maisie died several years ago."

Volodya nodded. He looked up at Sam more seriously. "Just promise to keep her safe. Inside, at least. I don't want anything to happen to her."

"Well, of course," Sam said, patting her gently on the head.

For a moment, they sat there, watching Strawberry sleep, purring softly.

"I can't believe how quickly she's moved in," Sam mused. "I almost have her litter box trained."

"That's good," said Volodya. His face fell. "Sam, what do you mean ALMOST?"

"Nothing! Forget I said anything," Sam said quickly, looking to change the subject. "Have I mentioned your biceps look especially swole today?"

Volodya groaned, unable to hide the grin on his face.

***

It was early in the morning when Sam was ready to leave the house for his shift. Was he going to be early to work for once?

The sun warmed his face as he jogged down the porch steps. He was surprised to see Lewis approaching the house.

"Mayor Lewis! What brings you out here?"

"Same as you, I'm guessing, checking in on the farmer. I brought some goodies," he said, holding up a grocery bag. "Is he in?"

"That's nice of you," said Sam. "Um, I don't think he's awake yet. He's supposed to rest."

"I see." Lewis looked thoughtful. "You're here early; why are you here if he's not awake?"

Sam opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Oh, I know," Lewis said, raising his hand in realization. "I remember I saw you leave the clinic with him."

Sam blinked, trying to remember what happened that day. "Yeah. I've kind of been staying over."

He watched Lewis's face as he connected the dots. Finally, Lewis smiled kindly at him.

"I'm impressed, Sam. You're such a good friend to take care of him in his time of need."

"Right, yeah," Sam said with an uneasy smile. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. Hey, I can take that in for him, let him know you stopped by?"

"That'd be perfect!" Lewis handed Sam the sack, and he nearly stumbled back, not from the magnitude of the weight, but from his divided attention. "Maybe I'll stop by later, keep him company. Or actually," he scratched his chin in thought. "No, I have a pretty full schedule. Tell him my apologies, I have some mayorly business to attend to."

"I'll do that," Sam said with a nod. He and Lewis gave a friendly wave goodbye, and returned to the house.

Sam quietly slipped into the bedroom. The room was dark, a few rays of sunlight peeking in through the window. Carrying the grocery bag, he sat down on the bed and gently shook his partner's shoulder. "Vlo."

"Mmm?" he said, rolling over to face Sam.

"I have the funniest thing to tell you. Also, Lewis just came by with some stuff."

Volodya slowly sat up. He took the bag, his brow furrowed. "Oh," he said sleepily. He reached in and pulled out a package of fancy artisan cheese. "That was nice of him."

"Yeah," Sam said, crawling onto the bed next to him. "He also thinks the reason I'm staying over is because I'm such a good friend, taking care of you."

Volodya laughed sleepily. "You are a good friend." He pulled out a bottle of wine. "Ooh."

Sam leaned back, stretching his arms over his head. "Well, thanks, 'friend'." He grinned. "He was also planning to come bother you later, but he's busy."

Volodya made a face. "Why do all these people have to come bother me? Isn't the point that I get to stay home?"

"I know," Sam laughed. He took Volodya's hand and bringing the back of it to gently caress the side of his face. "That's how it is. The whole town's going to trek it out here once they find out something happened to you."

Volodya sat up, his expression more serious. "Sam, I don't think everyone in town is going to think you're just a friend."

"Yeah," Sam conceded, sounding less sure of himself. He let go of Volodya's hand and rubbed his face. "Dude, I know I said I was fine with it earlier, but...he was so close to figuring out the truth, and it scared me."

"We don't have to tell everyone the truth," Volodya murmured, rubbing Sam's arm.

"Really?" Sam looked to him, perplexed. "I thought that's what you wanted."

Volodya shook his head. "I don't want to be the town's token gay couple. And I can't imagine what it's like for you, where everyone already knows you? To come out to them all at once?"

Sam threw his arms around his partner. Volodya squeezed back, and they shared in each other's embrace for a minute.

"Okay, good. I don't want to come out to everyone just yet," Sam concluded.

"Me either." Volodya smiled. "If anyone asks, you'll just have to settle for being my friend."

"That's such a downgrade," Sam said with a loud laugh.

Suddenly, a meow sounded from the foot of the bed.

"Aww, look who finally slept after waking us up at 5 am," Sam cooed, petting the kitten as she walked past him.

"She did that yesterday," Volodya quietly remarked. "Is this going to be a regular thing?"

"Don't listen to your Uncle Vlo," Sam told Strawberry as she crawled into his lap. "He's just jealous that you stole some of my attention."

"That's not true!" Volodya feigned injury. He folded his arms. "I'm just saying, this farm ain't big enough for the two of us..."

Sam breathed in sharply. "Strawberry, I will fight him to defend your honor."

Volodya laughed. "Don't you have to go to work?"

"Oh, fuck." Sam quickly extricated himself from underneath the cat. "Have a nice day," he said, kissing Volodya on the forehead before running out the door.

"'Bye," Volodya called back.

When Sam was gone, Volodya glanced to little Strawberry, who was grooming her disheveled fur. She stopped to look up at him and meow.

"What are you looking at?" he said flatly.

She stood up and stretched, and started rubbing against him, purring. He felt some tension in him melt.

"Hey, you're not so bad, aren't you?" He reached down to pet her. As soon as he leaned forward, she snuck around and quickly took a seat on his pillow. "Hey!"

***

"Hey," Sam said as he walked in the door of the house. The sun was beginning to set outside. "What are you up to?"

"Just making some pasta," Volodya called from the kitchen. "Hey, do you want to drink this wine?"

Sam approached him and took the bottle. "Why yes, I do think..." he squinted at the label, "Cabernet Sauvignon would pair well with the pasta."

Volodya chuckled at his deliberate mispronunciation. "Okay, perfect."

Sam glanced around the kitchen and pulled open the silverware drawer. "Do you have a corkscrew?"

Volodya frowned. "I don't think so."

Sam set down the bottle. As Volodya stood in front of the stove, Sam approached him from behind, hugging his arms around his waist. He gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," said Volodya with a smile.

"How was your day?" he murmured into his ear.

"Good," said Volodya. He turned around so they could share a brief kiss. "You were right, more townsfolk came to check in on me."

"Really?" Sam leaned against the counter. "Who?"

"Marnie brought some eggs. Also, she had lots of kitten advice."

"Is that so?" Sam said, folding his arms with a laugh.

"Yeah," said Volodya. "Now Strawberry has a little cardbord box fort to play in. And later, Robin came by to fix the coop."

"Nice," said Sam. He watched Volodya stir the pasta on the stove. His right side was still covered in bandages, which Sam had been helping to change at night. He seemed to be moving around okay, but he wondered how much pain he was really in, if he was hiding it from Sam to keep him from worrying.

"Actually, that gives me an idea," said Volodya. He moved to the front door and pulled on his sneakers. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Sam called back. As soon as he was gone, the house felt strangely quiet.

Sam watched the pasta and took it off when it was ready. He drained it in a colander in the sink. He found a half cut-up onion on a cutting board and finished chopping it, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

As he approached the front door, he wondered who it could be, since he definitely didn't lock it on the way in. Unless Volodya accidentally did on his way out? It was possible, the farmer still had some still had some old habits from his life in the city. He opened the door, and to his surprise--

"Hello!" Haley's voice rang as she stood on the front porch, her arms closely hanging onto Alex's, who awkwardly stood next to her, his other hand holding a plate of cookies. "Oh," Haley said in a confused tone. "You're not the farmer."

"Hi there," Sam said brightly. "Yeah, he just left. He'll be back, like, any minute."

"Oh, okay," Haley said, flashing a friendly smile. She gave Alex a tiny nudge with her elbow. "Alex?"

"Oh, um, my Nan made some cookies to bring over," he said casually, although Sam could detect a sense of discomfort in his voice.

"Sure," said Sam. He glanced around the living room behind him. "I guess you could come in."

Haley entered the room, Alex quietly following behind. "This is nice, I've never been out here--" she stumbled over the set of drums on the side of the room. "Oh. Whoops."

Alex set the cookies on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. "How long have you known Vlad?"

"Oh, we've been friends for awhile," Sam said, plopping down in an armchair. Automatically, he draped one leg over the arm of the chair, how he normally sat. He only realized how it might look well after it was too late to correct his posture.

"Volodya and Alex went to summer camp together, like ten years ago, can you imagine that?" Haley beamed, sitting next to Alex so he could mindlessly put his arm around her.

"Yeah, I think he mentioned that," said Sam, the corners of his mouth unable to help but forming a smile. "Isn't that crazy?"

"Oh, I know!" Haley flicked her wrist. She turned her head at a jaunty angle towards Alex. "What kind of trouble did you boys get up to back then?"

Alex swallowed. "So how's the band coming along?"

"Ugh, you're no fun," Haley said, rolling her eyes. She grinned, shaking her head at Sam. "Boys and their secrets. I don't even want to know. Trouble with the police?" She looked to Alex expectantly.

Alex ignored her, desperate to change the subject. "You guys playing in Zuzu again?"

"Yeah, I hope so," Sam answered. "We've been practicing, and a friend of a friend is going to get us a gig soon, I'm hoping."

"Nice." An awkward silence permeated the air. Alex glanced around. He leaned forward as though to stand up. "Well, good to see you; be sure to say hi for us--"

The front door sounded and they all craned their necks to see Volodya walk in, too absorbed with his task to notice them.

"Robin left some of her tools here, so I think we might be able to use this to get it open--" His arm holding the power drill fell to his side as he saw the company in the room. "Oh. Hello."

"Evelyn baked you some cookies," Sam explained, twisting over the side of the chair.

"Aww, that's sweet of her," Volodya said, setting the drill down on the counter. He walked to the living room and picked a cookie off the plate. "Chocolate chip, my favorite."

"How are you feeling?" asked Haley. She nudged Alex to move over so she could pat the seat on the couch on the other side of her. "I heard you were out for a few days."

"I've been managing, thanks," said Volodya, sitting next to her. He talked through a mouthful of cookie. "What's new in town?"

"Oh, nothing much." Haley flipped her hair idly. "Just my eternal quest to find a decent cup of coffee in this town."

"Good luck with that," Volodya said with a grin. "Actually, would you like some wine? We were just going to open a bottle that Lewis sent over."

"Sure, that'd be great!" Haley turned to Alex. "We can stay for a glass of wine, can't we?"

Alex didn't respond. Volodya hopped up and moved back to the kitchen.

Haley shrugged it off. "Sam, what have you been up to? I haven't seen you around town in awhile."

"That's weird, yeah," he said, a friendly grin lingering on his face as he watched the situation unfold. "I still work at Joja mart. I guess I've just been out here a lot. Well, ever since I moved out of my mom's house."

Haley blinked through her smile. "You...moved out?"

Sam glanced over at the kitchen, where Volodya was trying to remove a wine cork with a power drill. He gave a laugh. "Hang on, I'm going to go help him."

Alex and Haley stayed on the couch as Sam returned to the kitchen, Alex somehow unable to make eye contact with anything other than the floor.

"What's going on?" Sam whispered as he approached Volodya.

"Okay, so it's not as bad as it looks; I've seen someone do this on the internet," Volodya explained. The whole operation looked comically precarious. He went to press the drill into the cork, and the bottle started to tip off to the side.

"Shit!" Sam managed to grab it before it fell. "Here," he said, holding it sturdy.

"Thanks, babe," Volodya said in a maudlin voice. Sam laughed, glancing up to check that Alex and Haley weren't paying attention.

Miraculously, Volodya was able to get the cork out in a smooth operation. As he set the cork on the counter, he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and leaned in closer. "How are you doing with homecoming king and queen over there?"

"I've never seen a more couple-y not-couple." Sam looked over at them. Haley was still talking to something as Alex quietly nodded, looking increasingly bored, his arm still around her shoulders. "I kind of wish we weren't pretending we're just friends."

Volodya made a straight face, or as straight as possible. "If you need to really obviously grab my ass in front of them, I'll allow it."

They both burst out laughing, Sam clutching the counter to sturdy himself.

"What's going on over there?" Haley called.

"Nothing!" Volodya answered.

"We've got the wine open," Sam announced with a grin, preventing Volodya from pulling the glasses down from the cupboard without losing his composure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another cute chapter for y'all. Thanks for reading and leaving kudos/comments, see ya next week!


	13. Change of Seasons

It was a muggy summer day as Sam sat in the living room in a T-shirt and boxers, sipping lemonade and playing guitar. A breeze wafted in through the open screen door. Volodya had left awhile ago to go on a walk. He set the guitar aside and stood up to pull on some pants.

The screen door creaked as Sam stepped outside. He clattered down the porch steps in his flip flops. "Hey, Volodya!"

His boyfriend looked up from where he was crouched. He non-conspicuously wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood up. "Oh hey," he said as Sam approached him.

"Hey," Sam said with a patient grin. "What did Harvey say about your recovery? 'No strenuous exercise'?"

"I know," Volodya said, glancing away sheepishly. "I just wanted to harvest these melons before the end of the season."

"Babe." Sam placed a hand on Volodya's arm. "What if you hurt yourself?"

Volodya sighed. His eyes met Sam's in a silent protest.

Sam laughed. "I get it, the farmer's gotta farm. At least let me help you," he offered. He looked at the wheelbarrow full of melons and tried lifting it. "How have you been managing this so far?" he grunted.

"It hasn't been easy," Volodya said, setting another fruit into the wheelbarrow. He circled his arm around in its socket to stretch it. "I think it's been okay so far."

Sam nodded. He lifted up the wheelbarrow. "Where to next, Chief?"

***

"Here we are," said Volodya as he, Abigail, and Sebastian reached the entrance to the mine on a breezy fall day. He pulled out his backpack and started digging through it. "Before we go in, I have some weapons for you guys."

Abigail squealed with delight. "Ooh, we get weapons!"

Sebastian seemed less impressed.

"Okay, here you go," said Volodya, handing Abigail a dagger. "Be careful, that's sharp."

"Nice," she said, her eyes sparkling as she pulled it out of its sheath.

"And for you," Volodya said, turning to Sebastian, "I have this bug head."

"Bug...head?" he said in vague confusion. As soon as Volodya pulled out the giant exoskeletal pincers, Sebastian shrank away in horror.

"Maybe not?" Volodya said with more an air of unease.

"Ugh, let's just trade," Abigail butt in, swiping the bug head out of Volodya's hands and handing the dagger to Sebastian. "Since you're such a pussy."

An awkward smile spread across Sebastian's face. "Okay," he said quietly before clipping the sheath to his belt.

They followed Volodya inside, and he led them onto the rickety old elevator. "The shadow monsters are going to be on the lower floors."

"Yes!" Abigail said, her eyes lighting up with a grin. "Let's go!"

Volodya punched a few numbers into the keypad and the elevator's gears sprang to life, clicking as the elevator began to shift downward. Sebastian glanced up at the walls of the elevator shaft that were visible through patches of chain link fence in the sides of the elevator box.

"Honestly, Sam's the real pussy," Abigail continued. "He didn't even want to come. What's he doing back on the farm that's so exciting?"

"He's been helping out a lot, actually," Volodya remarked. "Ever since I was in recovery."

"Sam, doing work?" Abigail said, folding her arms. "Sounds fake, but okay."

The three of them shared a laugh. The elevator descended further.

"This seems like such a long--" Sebastian stopped along with the elevator, which let off a pleasant *ding* as it opened its doors.

"Let me go first," Volodya said, turning on his headlamp. "It's supposed to be a luckier day, but there might be a few creatures lurking around."

The area was dark. Sebastian shined his flashlight on the walls, and the strange minerals fractured the light. He traced the ray of light along a deep crack, leading to something yellow glimmering deep inside.

"Oh, hey!" Volodya said, hastening towards him. "You found a gold ore vein. Hang on."

Sebastian and Abigail watched quizzically as Volodya pulled out a pickax and chipped away at the rock.

"Is this what you do when you come down here?" Abigail asked skeptically.

"I know, it's really exciting," Volodya laughed, putting literal rocks into his backpack. "Maybe we'll see something soon."

Just then, a noise echoed deep from the far end of the tunnel.

Abigail laughed. "Seb, you just jumped like, a foot."

"Shit, what was that?" Sebastian breathed, the shakiness apparent in his voice.

"Sounded like a bat." Volodya pulled his sword out. "It'll come back. Let me know if you see it."

Sebastian's eyes widened, clearly not calmed by Volodya's comment.

"Let's go," said the farmer, stepping further into the darkness. Sebastian and Abigail followed close by.

"Ah, fuck," Sebastian said, tripping as he stepped over some rails on the ground.

"You okay?" Volodya said, grabbing his elbow so he wouldn't fall. He looked rather excited. "Maybe there's a mine cart if we follow these."

Sebastian said nothing, just gently shook Volodya's arm off. The farmer didn't notice as he continued down the tunnel, keeping his lamp's light on the metal tracks.

Abigail was practically skipping. "What do we get if we find a mine cart?"

"There's usually a good amount of coal," Volodya answered.

Abigail's expression deflated at the word "coal." Just as she was sulking, something flew over her head. "Ah!" She ducked.

"Come 'ere," Volodya muttered, looking up at the cave ceiling with his sword ready. The bat flew overhead again and he swiped it back. The air was silent again, but he didn't move.

"Can we--" Sebastian was cut off as he heard the bat return.

Instantly, Volodya swung his sword and the creature fell to the ground. He crouched over it studying the animal. He made a face as he severed a wing from the dead animal and carefully stored it away. He looked up to Abigail and Sebastian's again-confused faces. "Sorry, I know it looks morbid, but there's a couple uses for these things."

"Woah, you mean like witchcraft?" Abigail's interest suddenly resumed.

"It kind of is, yeah," Volodya laughed softly.

They continued into a series of rooms filled with old crates. Volodya pried a few of them open with his sword, but there wasn't much to be found, just a few old carrots. As they started exploring the caves, Sebastian rounded a corner and found that Abigail and the farmer were no longer there. Wasn't he here before? He stopped to listen for their voices. In the distant, he thought he heard the echo of Abigail's laugh.

He headed down the corridor, the area seemingly getting darker. His flashlight traced the floor as he walked, when he heard another noise, something unnatural. He turned around to face the sound, but in doing so, the flashlight slipped from his hand.

"No!" his voice echoed against the cave walls, and he watched the flashlight roll down the inclined surface into an unreachable crevice at the far end of the room.

"Shit." He looked up, and there before him, in what dim light reflected off the cave walls, was a human-shaped silhouette. And it was moving towards him.

His mouth opened to call out, but his vocal chords were still. In a panic, he turned around and began to run, keeping his arms out in case he hit a wall in the darkness. His foot graced against something cold, and for this time, he sighed in relief at the familiarity of the rails. Tracing one of them with his hand, he half crouched, half ran as he used them to guide him back to the entrance of the mine.

"Sebastian?"

He heard Volodya's voice echo in the distance, and he ran faster. He saw a light in the distance, and when he finally reached them, he bent over to catch his breath.

"Sebastian!" Abigail exclaimed. "Are you okay?! For a minute there, we thought we lost you."

"Yeah," he said in between pants. "I-I thought I saw something."

"Like a monster?" Abigail move closer. "What did it look like?"

"Tall and dark, almost human," he recalled. "Have you seen that before, Volodya?"

He turned to face the farmer, who had wandered down the tunnel. The man was brandishing his weapon again, waiting for something to appear from the opposite end.

"There!" Sebastian pointed as the shadow brute appeared.

Without hesitation, Volodya defended himself as the creature approached him. He swung his sword a few times, and the beast dissolved into nothing.

"That's that," he said, dusting his hands off as he rejoined the group. "What's going on?"

"I think Sebastian's ready to go," said Abigail, her eyes wide.

Sebastian nodded.

Volodya gave a laugh. "Okay, let's head back up."

***

"You came! Wow," Haley said, beaming as Volodya stood on her porch, holding out a fresh summer melon. "Come on in."

He followed her inside the house.

"You can set it on the table," she said with a grin once they reached the kitchen. "I thought you said you didn't have any left!"

"I thought so," Volodya explained, "But I was saving some to make into wine."

"You can make wine with melons?" Haley asked, pulling her purse off the coat rack in the corner.

"You can make wine with anything," Volodya said with a grin, folding his arms as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. "Don't worry about it," he said as she pulled out her wallet.

"Are you sure?" Haley held the purse close to her. "I really owe you. I thought I was going to have to wait until next year to make this cake." She laughed, casually tossing back a strand of hair.

Volodya shook his head. "It's really nothing. Anyway, I--"

"Were they all developed?" Haley asked brightly as Penny passed by the entrance to the kitchen. The young woman looked up, startled to see the farmer.

Less than a second and she regained her composure. "Yes, I'll just--"

As she stepped forward, a few photos slipped from her grasp. She clutched at them as they fell to the floor. "Excuse me," she said, hurriedly kneeling down to pick them up. She glanced up at Volodya, who blankly stared back.

***

"And you really think it was pictures of you?!"

"Yeah! And she was really awkward about it, trying to hide them. Thanks," Volodya said as Sam sat next to him at the kitchen table, setting down two cups of coffee.

"That's like, stalker behavior," Sam said. He shook his head as he stirred two packets of sugar into his mug. "That's so weird for her."

"Dude, I wonder if I should confront her about it," Volodya said. His brow furrowed with anger. "And didn't you say she knew all that information about me? My blood type and everything? What the fuck!"

"I don't know," Sam said, slurping up some coffee. "I guess there's not much you can do while you're on your trip."

"Yeah," Volodya said, calmed slightly. "At least she can't get me while I'm in the city. Unless she follows me there."

"Yoba, I hope not," Sam remarked. "That'd be messed up."

Volodya sighed. He took another sip of his coffee and stood up. "Well, I guess I should finish getting packed."

"Good luck with that," Sam called to him.

Strawberry walked by, rubbing along Sam's shin. He reached down and gave her a pet.

***

Sam stretched as he woke up. He yawned, rolling over and opening his eyes to see an empty spot on the bed next to him. He sat up, looking around the room.

Strawberry didn't stir from her spot at the end of the bed. In the corner, Volodya's duffle bag was still sitting there, packed and ready to go. He thought back to the night before, where his partner had briefly gone out to check the valves on the sprinklers. And never came back.

"Shit."

Sam tore the covers back, and jumped out of bed. Strawberry meowed in protest, changing her position as he threw on some jeans and a jacket.

Sam's breath was visible in the morning air as he stood on the front porch, scanning the area for signs of him. "Volodya!"

He paced along the rows of crops, seeing no traces. At the edge of the farm, he approached the line of trees leading into the forest and closed his eyes. It was that eerie quiet again, the one that he remembered from the morning the chickens had disappeared.

Sam made his way into the forest, the trees aflame with autumn colors, as he was walking, he did a double take upon seeing an article of clothing hanging from a tree. He pulled down the overalls. "Volodya!"

As he continued walking, the sight of a leg lying behind a tree caused him to quicken his pace. There, lying stark naked in a pile of leaves, was his boyfriend.

Sam knelt down by him and patted the sides of his face. "Vlo, wake up," he breathed, his voice shaking.

Volodya's mouth opened, a guttural noise sounding before he sang softly. "I'll be the boyfriend in your wet dreams tonight--"

He opened his eyes softly, and laughed upon seeing Sam, who for once, was not in a laughing mood.

"Yoba, you scared me," Sam breathed, sitting in the dirt beside him.

Volodya sat up, yawning. He frowned and closed his eyes. "Ugh, my head."

Sam leaned closer. "You don't smell like alcohol."

"Why would I? We--" Volodya was silent when he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

Sam's face fell into his own hands, and he took a deep breath. Then, he pulled his boyfriend into a deep embrace.

Volodya nestled his head into Sam's neck, taking comfort in the moment. When they finally pulled away, he was more lucid. "I guess it happened again."

Sam nodded. "I'm so stupid. I should have known when you didn't come in last night."

"Fuck," Volodya mumbled. He closed his eyes. "You shouldn't have to worry about me."

"Are you okay?" Sam lifted Volodya's arm, inspecting his recent scars. Somehow, he appeared to be completely unharmed.

"I'm fine," Volodya said, waving him away. He shifted his weight to his knees, standing up. "Let's go back to the house." Instantly, the skin on his extremities shuddered in the cold air.

"Vlo," Sam said, picking up the overalls from where he had dropped them on the ground. Volodya nodded, and Sam tossed them to him to put on. As they walked back to the house, with Volodya in his hillbilly sort of barefoot-overalls look, Sam was sure to grab his hand and clasp it tightly.

"What time is it?" Volodya wondered with a yawn. "I hope I'm not late for my bus."

Sam just shrugged.

They made it into the house, and Strawberry greeted them in the living room. Volodya knelt down to scratch behind her ears while Sam walked straight past into the bedroom, rubbing his face tiredly. He set the shower to warm up, and when he returned to the living room, Volodya was on his back on the floor with the kitten lying on his chest, him mindlessly stroking her fur, murmuring "Koshechka, koshechka."

"The shower's ready," Sam announced.

Volodya lifted his head, his eyes mostly closed. "Sam, I love you."

Sam gave a sigh. "Come on." He lifted the cat off Volodya's stomach and pulled him up to a standing position where he could stagger into the bedroom.

Volodya made it into the shower where he stood listlessly for a few minutes. Sam sat on the edge of the bed, his hands clasped together anxiously. He looked up to see his boyfriend emerge from the shower dripping wet, his expression flat.

"Okay," Sam said unceremoniously, and no sooner had he closed the door that Volodya had him pinned against it, their lips crashing together hungrily in the event that they might soon be parted. A few minutes later, they were on the bed, lying side by side, breathing heavily.

Volodya laughed. "Now I'm really going to be late."

Sam walked him out to the bus stop and waited with him until it came. When it did, Sam took a look at the other riders--unknown city dwellers, nomads, what-have-yous. He tapped on Volodya's shoulder having taken one step onto the vehicle, and the farmer spun around briefly before Sam pulled him into another kiss.

Volodya smiled down at him, gave his shoulder a squeeze before stepping up to the unimpressed driver with his ticket. After took his seat, he waved from the window as the vehicle gathered its strength and accelerated into the distance, leaving Sam at the bus stop, silently waving back. His arm fell to his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading! Things are going to ramp up (story-wise) next week, hehe...as always, thanks for leaving kudos and comments, and see you next week with the update!


	14. Investigation

Sam continued the rest of the day as usual, checking on the crops, clearing some weeds that had grown. He got on his board and rode into town, the sky bright blue against the autumn trees. As he passed the town center, he spotted his brother at the playground.

"Hey!" He hopped off his skateboard and picked it up, jogging over to the swing set.

"Hi Sam!" Vincent called as he joyfully jumped out of the swing, landing on all fours in the dirt.

"Careful," Sam said with a laugh as he stood up. He shook some of the dirt from Vincent's hair.

"Don't tell mom," said Vincent. "She got mad the last time I got stains on my new jeans, so I'm not supposed to be out here."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Sam said with a grin. "Why are you guys out here, anyway? Did Penny let you out early?"

"She didn't show up, so we've been here all day," Vincent said nonchalantly. He picked up a stick and started arbitrarily drawing lines in the ground.

"Don't tell him that!" Jas chimed in when she reached the bottom of the slide. "We'll get in trouble!"

Sam frowned. "But you saw Penny yesterday?"

"Yeah," said Vincent. "We had to do algebra, and it was loooong and boring."

"Did she say she was going to be gone?" Sam asked.

Vincent shrugged as he climbed up the side of the slide.

"Okay. Well, I've gotta go, Vince. See you around?"

"When are we going to go bowling again?" the kid called from the top of the slide. "I want to go bowling."

"After you owned all of us? I don't know about that," Sam said with a laugh. "We'll go again sometime."

***

"Score!" Sebastian grinned as he sank Sam's final ball at pool. The pub had its usual lively Friday night crowd.

Sam abruptly dropped his cue on the table and took a sip of beer.

"Dang, that fast," Sebastian continued, collecting the balls to re-set the game. "You alright? You seem kind of distracted."

"Kind of. I mean, Volodya left to go into the city this morning." Sam pursed his lips. "Have either of you seen Penny today?"

"No, why?" Abigail chimed in, looking up from her phone on the couch. "What's wrong with Penny?"

"Nothing, just, she didn't show up to teach Jas and Vincent today." Sam abandoned the chance for another game of pool and plopped down on the couch next to Abigail.

"Interesting," she said, taking a sip of her mojito. "Just ditched school on a Friday?"

"Volodya thinks she's stalking him," Sam explained. "You remember that thing with her at the hospital?"

"Oh yeah, what happened with that?" Abigail shifted her legs under her, leaning towards him. "I thought you said he just told her to leave."

"He did." Sam sighed. "I don't know, dude. He was acting really weird this morning."

"What do you mean?" Abigail inquired. Sam looked up to see Sebastian had taken an interest in the conversation, listening quietly as he leaned against the pool table.

"He says he gets these...blackouts? Well, I woke up this morning, and he was gone. I went out and found him just lying out in the woods, acting kind of weird."

"Well maybe--" Abigail stopped herself, something unusual for her.

"What?" Sam tilted his head. "You can't just say that and tell me."

"You really want to know?" she said, her eyes wide. "Okay. I could be wrong, but do you think it's possible that he's cheating on you?"

"What?!" Sam nearly jumped back, surprised at the accusation. "No, he can't...I know he wouldn't do that."

"'Blackouts,' Sam?" Sebastian contended. "You really believe that story?"

"Exactly," Abigail continued. "She was at the clinic, she brought him in, apparently Harvey thought she was his girlfriend. He could have been awake for hours before he decided to send her away. And she hasn't spoken to you at all about it."

Sam's look was one of protest. "I guess not, but--"

"And," Abigail added, "Wouldn't it be very easy for him to make up a story that she was stalking him as an excuse for why he kept running into her?"

"Maybe, but--"

"And now he's gone to the city, and she just happens to disappear at the same time, taking a Friday off before a weekend? Isn't it obvious?" She shifted her gaze between Sam and Sebastian expectantly.

"I don't know," Sam hesitated. "We don't even know if she left town."

Abigail folded her arms, nodding. "Okay, then where is she?"

Sam shrugged. "At home?"

Abigail hopped off the couch. "Then let's pay her a visit."

Sam threw a hand up. "Really, Abi? Why?"

"To prove a point. If she's there, no harm done, but if not, I would mind doing some investigating." She flashed a grin as she lowered her voice.

Sam's eyes widened. "No." He turned to Sebastian. "And you're okay with this."

Sebastian shrugged, keeping his arms folded. "We're not going to bother Pam, at least," he said, tilting his head towards the woman who was occupying her nightly spot at the bar.

Sam grew quiet, staring off in thought for a moment. "Okay, let's do it."

***

The trailer was dark when they reached it under the evening sky.

"Shh!" Abigail turned and made a gesture to Sam and Sebastian as they approached the front door. "The old man who lives next door is really nosy."

The glow of a television screen lit the corner of a window in Alex's grandparents' house.

"She could still be here?" Sam whispered, giving a pathetic grin. Sebastian rolled his eyes at that one.

"Fine, then you try knocking!" Abigail whispered back.

"Fine, I will!"

Sam gulped nervously before rapping his knuckles a few times on the screen door. When no one answered, Abigail jiggled the door handle, and it swung open. She gave a haughty shrug before walking right in. Sam raised his eyebrows at Sebastian, who said nothing and followed her inside.

Once they were all in the darkness of the small interior, Abigail used her phone as a flashlight to navigate. "This must be her room," she chortled, pointing her thumb at the door embellished with sparkly red stick-on letters that read "Penny."

"What do you think you're going to find, anyway?" Sam asked as they entered the bedroom.

"I don't know, some of his boxers?" Abigail smirked as she opened a dresser drawer. Her expression changed to disappointment upon seeing the neatly folded pastel sweaters, and she quickly closed it.

"Bold of you to assume he wears boxers," Sam said, a grin spreading across his face.

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "Well, when we find some, good thing one of us will be able to recognize them."

Just then, a clattering sound came from the side of the room, where Sebastian had accidentally ran into some shelves. "Fuck! Sorry."

"Shh!" Abigail chided. "You want the whole town to hear us?"

"Why don't we just turn on the light?" Sebastian complained. "That'd be so much easier!"

"No, what if someone walks by outside and--"

The three of them were silent as Sebastian clicked on a table lamp and the room was illuminated by the dull yellow light. Each wall was covered floor to ceiling with old-fashioned developed photos. Sam stepped closer to inspect a few, all taken in different places, but the subject matter was all the same.

"Volodya."

And there were pictures of him everywhere. Working on the farm, cutting trees in the forest, entering the mines. There were pictures of him chatting with other residents in town, going to the library, collecting shells on the beach--all seemingly without him knowing.

"Sam," Abigail said, her tone more grave.

On the wall above Penny's bed was a picture, obviously taken in low light, of Sam and Volodya asleep in their bed, clearly unclothed apart from the sheets that covered them waist down. It was clear from the photo that they were an intimate couple.  

"How did she...how did she take this?" he said quietly. The scene was obviously their bedroom, not from an angle to any outside window. He scanned the pictures beside it, all of Volodya in his hospital bed, and then he reached the one that had made Abigail go silent, covering her mouth in distress.

The man lay on the ground, blood seeping out of his deep wounds, his face pale and unconscious.

Sebastian leaned in for a closer look. "Was this before she brought him into--"

Without further explanation, Sam ripped the photo off the wall. "That's enough." His voice was shaking. "Let's get out of here. We don't need to see anymore." He glanced at another photo that showed the aftermath of the gruesome attack. He quickly grabbed it, too. Neither Abigail nor Sebastian said anything.

***

"She's stalking him. She's clearly stalking him. And that's why she's gone. She followed him. She had to've, right?"

Abigail's voice trailed along with her thoughts as she sat on the floor of Sebastian's room. Sam was curled up on one end of the couch, while Sebastian sat behind his computer as usual.

"Why is he in the city again?" Sebastian asked, barely paying attention to the conversation.

"He had some appointments," Sam said quietly, blankly staring at a spot on the floor.

Abigail twisted her face. "Appointments? What does that mean?"

Sam shrugged. "He told me what they were, and he didn't want me to go, and I agreed."

Abigail frowned. "Okay."

Suddenly, Sebastian rolled his chair out from behind his desk, facing the two of them. "Wait, so what did he say after that time he got attacked? Did he remember seeing the monster?"

"Like I said, he gets blackouts," Sam replied, lifting a hand. "He doesn't remember anything that happened to him."

"And it was Penny that found him?" Sebastian continued.

Sam furrowed his brow in a baffled expression and nodded.

Sebastian folded his arms. "Stalking aside, if he were cheating on you, it would be very convenient to blame it on something like that."

"Yeah," Abigail chimed in, sitting up. "Think about it, Sam. What was Penny doing with him on the farm before he got attacked?"

"She was stalking him, obviously!" He pulled the crumpled, fingerprint-stained polaroids from his jacket pocket, and held them out, face down so that they still weren't visible. "You think it's normal to take pictures like this?!"

"I don't know," Abigail retorted, raising her eyebrows. "People are into some freaky shit." At seeing Sam roll his eyes, she raised her voice. "Look, Sam. Maybe it's not true. But what if he IS cheating on you, and you've been playing stupid to his charms this whole time?! When he says he doesn't want you to go to the city with him, and you're here waiting for him while he's off honeymooning with his new girl?"

Sam anxiously ran his hands along the sides of his face. "I just don't think he would do that."

"Really?" Abigail said flatly. "Then why don't you call him? At least, you can warn him he's got a stalker."

Sam grimaced. "I know I should. But who wants to be the one to call and tell him about this?" He held up the photos. "Because I fucking don't."

Abigail was silent. Sam glanced her warily for a minute before sighing, pulling out his phone, and dialing the number.

Volodya picked up after a few rings. "H'llo?" His voice was husky and tired.

"Hey, um. It's me," Sam managed. Sebastian and Abigail's eyes were on him. "How are you?"

"Good--"

In the background, another voice sounded. As much as Sam could make out was "Calling at this hour?"

"It's just Sam," Volodya responded, still apparent in his voice that he had just woken up. "Goodnight, Nick." The faint sound of a door shutting could be heard in the background.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Sam glanced at the clock by Sebastian's bed. It was past 1am.

"No. I mean, yeah, but it's good to hear from you."

"You, too." Sam felt his emotions heighten, partially from that remark, but also in anticipation of the news he had to share. "I have to tell you something."

"Sure, what is it?"

Sam glanced over at Abigail and Sebastian, who were watching intently. "Hang on."

He stood up and left the room, slamming the basement door in his friends' disappointed faces. Once he was safely in the privacy of the upstairs bathroom, he sat up on the counter an took a deep breath. "Okay, so remember Penny? Me and Seb and Abi, we may have...broken into her bedroom."

Volodya burst out laughing. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this story."

"You don't," Sam remarked. "Earlier, when she was out for whatever reason, we snuck into her bedroom, and you won't believe, she has the whole place plastered with pictures of you."

There was a silence on the other end. Finally, a quieter voice broke through. "...Pictures?"

"Of you, yeah," Sam confirmed, his hand digging into the counter top. "Dude, you were right. I think she's stalking you."

More silence before the other man gathered enough composure to stammer out a response. "Wh-what do you mean, pictures of me? Like what kind of pictures?"

"It's nothing--nothing bad. Not for the most part, anyway." Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Just like, pictures of you around town and stuff. Except there were a couple..." his voice faded out.

"A couple what?" Volodya's voice asked in anticipation.

Sam grimaced. "Your attack. She took some pictures of you before she brought you into the hospital. It's pretty gruesome, man."

"Are you kidding me?!" Volodya's voice sounded back. "What the fuck?"

"I took them down," Sam reassured him. "But, yeah, it's really creepy."

"That's for sure." He took a few breaths. "Why were you guys in there in the first place?"

"It's kind of a long story," Sam explained. "We were hanging out at the saloon, and I was telling them about your blackouts, and--"

"Wait, you told them about that?" Volodya interrupted.

"Yes?" Sam shifted as he was sitting. "I was worried. Do you not want me to tell my friends about you?"

"No, I mean talking to your friends is fine, but," his voice got quiet again, "it's kind of embarrassing."

Sam went quiet. "Oh. Sorry about that."

Some silence lingered between them before Sam spoke up again.

"How's the city? Your appointment go okay?"

"Yeah. Things have been smooth so far. How's life on the farm?"

"Good." Sam paused. "It's been kind of quiet without you."

"Oh?" Volodya gave a laugh. "That's too bad, how are you going to make it through the rest of the week?"

"I'll manage. I'm a strong, grown ass man," Sam boasted, and they both laughed.

"Okay, well, you can call anytime."

"Same here," Sam responded. "I guess I should let you sleep."

"Alright, then," said Volodya with a yawn. "Goodnight, Sam."

Sam hesitated before saying goodbye. "Love you."

"Love you."

"Bye."

Sam felt his cheeks flush as he hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, I made it out with another chapter for you guys. Hope you liked it, and thanks for leaving comments and kudos! See you next week!!


	15. Hello? It's me

Fluorescent lights flickered overhead as Sam restocked cans in the soup aisle at Joja Mart. As he looked up, he saw Lewis make eye contact from the end of the aisle. He stood up as the man approached him in a seemingly friendly manner.

"Sam! How are you doing this fine autumn day?" Lewis asked kindly, his hands clasped together.

"I'm good. How about you?" Sam responded in a short, but pleasant manner.

"Good. Say," Lewis began, the uncertainty in his voice beginning to show. "Would you mind stepping outside to talk for a moment?"

Sam glanced over at Morris's desk, where the man was carefully clipping his fingernails. His eyes quickly darted up at Sam from behind his reading glasses.

"I go on break at two," Sam told Lewis.

"I see." Lewis quickly glanced at his watch. "Very well, then. We'll just be waiting outside for a bit."

Sam nodded and returned to work, leaving Lewis to saunter back down the aisle and disappear out the front sliding doors.

About twenty minutes later, Sam stepped out into the brisk fall air.

"There he is. Sam!"

Lewis waved him over to the side of the store, where he was standing with a woman with a stiff composure, dressed in an official uniform under a light jacket.

"This is Detective Briggs from the Sheriff's department," Lewis explained. "She's doing an investigation about a missing person."

Sam shook hands with the woman, his brow furrowed. "What missing person?"

"Penny," said the woman, holding out a photo. "Do you remember the last time you saw her?"

Sam took the photo, even though it was clear he recognized her. "I don't know, maybe last week?" He handed it back. "I think she came into the store one afternoon."

"So you haven't spoken to her?" the detective inquired. Sam shook his head. "Alright, then. The last report we have of her is Friday; her mother's been missing her over the past several days."

Sam was unusually silent.

"Right," the detective continued without missing a beat. "If you find out anything of her whereabouts, let us know. Thanks for your time."

"Sure thing, officer," Sam said with a polite nod.

"Oh, Sam," Lewis interjected, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You know Volodya, right? You guys are close?"

Sam could tell immediately that his tone had shifted from the last time they had breached this topic. His eyes were kinder, as though he were looking at a lost puppy. Sam blinked. "Yeah, he's my boyfriend. We live together."

Lewis's face fell, his jaw hanging open slightly. Meanwhile, the detective suddenly showed interest, pulling out a notepad to scribble something down.

"Do you happen to know where we could reach him at the moment?" she asked.

"He's out of town until Friday night," Sam said innocently. "Why, is he in trouble?"

"No, we're just asking around to anyone who might have seen her," Briggs explained. "How long has he been away?"

"He left on a bus Friday morning," Sam said. "I can let him know to contact you when he gets back?"

"Sure." She handed him a card. "Again, thanks for your time."

Lewis nodded. "Also, we're holding a vigil in the town square tomorrow night. Come and support if you can."

"I'll be there," Sam answered respectfully.

"Good to see you, then," said Lewis. "We'll let you get back to work."

He and the detective turned to leave, the woman just slipping the notebook back into the inner pocket of her jacket.

"Wait! Detective!"

She looked up expectantly.

"Can you-you don't need to tell everyone about our relationship," he said, more nervous as he fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "It's kind of on the DL."

She looked mildly puzzled. "The DL? Is that some sort of lingo you kids use?"

"Like, not a lot of people know about it," Sam explained.

The detective's composure was solid. "Of course." And with that, they left him to endure the rest of his scheduled break.

***

It was a cloudy fall day as Sam carried two pails of freshly picked cranberries to the storage shed. He walked carefully across a makeshift wooden bridge that covered a small ravine that led through the edge of the woods. In his pocket, he felt his phone buzz, and upon setting down one of the pails, he tried taking off his gloves by awkwardly rubbing his hand against his knee. Holding it together with the pail in his other hand, he tried to pull out his phone, but he soon lost his balance and fumbled, sending the phone into the ravine.

"Shit!"

His eyes grew wide with panic, but he calmed upon seeing it had landed safely upon the bank. He finished his task, and when he returned from the shed, climbed down to the water to retrieve the device. The screen lit up, and immediately, something caught his eye. Under the bridge, on the bank of the creek was an old camera, seemingly abandoned.

***

"There he is!"

Abigail called out as she spotted Sam as she and Sebastian waited on the front porch of the farmhouse.

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he approached them. In one hand he carried an old plastic bag from Joja mart with a shoebox in it.

"Dude, we've been waiting for like, a half hour," Sebastian complained.

"I know," Sam said apologetically as he opened the front door to the house. "But I have something you're going to want to see."

Once inside, Sam put the box on the kitchen table and they all gathered round. As he opened the box, Abigail let out a small gasp.

"Is that Penny's?"

Sam took the camera out of the box and set it on the table. "I think so. I found it on the farm this morning, so I went to Haley's to get it developed. Do you know she has a whole dark room in her house?"

"Wait," Sebastian interrupted. "Penny? The girl who was declared a missing person? Penny, whose candlelit vigil we're going to in a few hours?"

Sam made a face, holding the camera more protectively with both hands.

"Dude," Sebastian continued, "That's probably evidence."

Abigail furrowed her brow. "Yeah, don't you think we should turn it in? Lewis and some detective came into the shop yesterday and were asking my dad if he's seen her."

"Yeah, they came and talked to me," Sam admitted. His friends were silent, and he looked down at the stack of pictures. His voice grew quiet. "I just don't want them to see...if there are more like last time." He glanced up to see Sebastian's disapproving expression. "And then I'll turn them in!" he quickly added.

Abigail shook her head. "Let's just take a look at them. It's too late to do anything else at this point."

The three of them were silent as Sam spread the pictures out on the table. There were a few of Volodya working on the farm, likely from the week before. Half of the photos were too dark to see anything.

"Fuck," Sam breathed as he laid the last one down.

The shot was blurry, clearly taken when the camera wasn't being held still. It was at an awkward angle pointed at the ground. An odd artificial light illuminated the scene, showing the outline of--feet? Something humanoid, at least. Claws dug into the earth, and covering the beast's skin was some bizarre mix of scales and black fur.

"This has to be a joke," Abigail concluded. "Where is that light coming from?!"

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. "What, so you think this was staged?"

"Well, look." Abigail pointed. "All of these photos are dark until that one. Except this one here; what is that?"

Upon closer inspection, a small source of light emitted from a knot in a tree.

"Is that...Volodya's glow ring?" Sam wondered aloud.

"I bet we could find it if we went out in the dark," Sebastian pointed out, leaning on the edge of his chair.

"You think this is somewhere on the farm?" Abigail questioned.

Sam nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think I know where this is. I--" He stopped to pick up the picture of the monster again, studying it carefully. He felt a chill run through him, and he quickly set it down.

"This is wild," Abigail said, glancing down at the photo. She picked it up, studying it carefully. "Seb, you said the shadow brute in the mines didn't look like the monster you saw that night? What about this?"

He reached across the table to take the picture from her. "I don't know," he said after careful consideration. "Maybe."

Abigail turned to Sam. "Any thoughts?"

He shrugged and pulled out his phone to take a picture of it. "I'm sending this to Volodya."

"Do you think he would know anything?" Sebastian pointed out. "Can you call him?"

Sam watched as the photo sent. "Sure, why not."

He dialed the number. Once the phone started ringing, he put it on speaker and set it on the table.

As soon as someone picked up on the other end, they heard some background static before the farmer spoke.

"Hello?" His voice was groggy.

Sam spoke up. "Babe, it's me."

"Hey."

"I'm here with Seb and Abi," Sam added. "How are you?"

"Hi!" Abigail called out.

"Hi." There was a pause before Volodya spoke again. "I'm good." Suddenly, he went into a fit of coughing.

"You don't sound good," Abigail pointed out.

When Volodya finally cleared his throat, he managed, "Sam, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Sam answered, and he took the phone off speaker. He cast an apologetic glance at Sebastian and Abigail as he disappeared into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Hmm," said Sebastian, leaning back in his chair. "He always does that."

"Couples are weird," Abigail remarked, examining a strand of her hair.

Sebastian took the photo again. "This is just bizarre. Like something out of Solarion Chronicles."

Awhile later, Sam returned to the room.

"What's new with your beau?" Abigail asked, leaning in on one elbow.

"He wasn't in the mood to talk," Sam explained. "He's not feeling well. Anyway, I think we should skip brand practice and just order takeout."

Sebastian and Abigail agreed.

***

"Thanks Maru, for that beautiful song," Lewis said as the sparse applause from the crowd dissipated into the night air. Everyone in town was gathered around a platform in the town square. "I'm sure your missing friend would love to hear your voice."

Maru nodded her head, wiping a tear from her face and handing him back the microphone before she stepped down from the platform. In the back of the crowd stood Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian, all holding lit advent candles that had been given out, a last minute addition on the part of the church of Yoba's supply closet.

"How long is this going to go on?" Abigail said under her breath, just so much that Sam and Sebastian could hear.

Sam shrugged. "I think they said a few more people were going to speak."

"Do we have to stay?" Sebastian wondered. "It's dark enough to go back to the woods. You know where it is, right Sam?"

Sam blinked. "Where what is?"

Sebastian pulled out his phone to display the picture he had taken of the photo on Sam's kitchen table, a glow ring shining in the forest.

"Right. Yeah," Sam said with a nod.

"Right now?" Abigail whispered, spinning around to face them. She looked up to the platform where Pam was giving a tearful speech, holding up a baby picture of her missing daughter. "You're right, let's go."

Once back on the farm, Sam led the way, the three of them using candlelight to guide them in the dark. "It's at the far corner, almost into Cindersap. Careful!" He indicated the bridge as they stepped across it. He pointed down into the ravine. "This is where I found the camera."

Abigail immediately disregarded his advice and hopped down by the creek. "We must be on the right path then if she was here."

She looked around for further evidence, and having satisfied her curiosity, she looked back up the steep side of the landscape. She held out a hand. "Sebastian."

Sebastian blinked, glancing at Sam briefly before taking her hand, helping to pull her out of the ravine.

"Thanks."

The trio ventured deeper into the forest. When they neared the area in question, they decided to split up in searching for the ring.

As Sam wandered the forest alone, leaves crunching under his feet, he glanced up at the tops of the trees, where stars shone in the night sky. A few owls sounded, and he was reminded of the predators that lurked in the woods.

"Hey, Sam--"

Sam jumped and turned around to see Abigail. "Shit, it's just you. What's up?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she said, lifting a hand to shield a gust of wind from blowing out her candle. "Come over here. I think I found it."

He followed her to the tree in question, where a faint glowing came from inside a deep hollow knot in its trunk. Craning his neck, he tried to peek inside, but it was too far down. He looked to Abigail, who shook her head.

"You can go for it."

Sam grimaced at the thought of what he might find, but his curiosity overpowered this feeling. He reached his hand into the hollow and reached around the debris that had gathered inside. As his fingers felt the cool metal of the ring, he pulled it out to confirm the object.

"Neat," said Abigail, as Sam tried the ring on for size. She looked around. "Where's Seb?"

Sam cupped a hand around his face. "Sebastian!"

"I hope he's not lost," Abigail remarked. "Do you think we'll see it?"

"We already found the ring," Sam said, holding up his pinkie finger, now sporting the piece of jewelry.

Abigail gave a laugh. "No, I mean the monster."

"Oh." Sam's voice was quieter. "I hope not."

Abigail elbowed him in the side. "Look who's scared."

"Guys!"

The two of them turned to see their friend, who was out of breath from trying to reach them. "My candle blew out," he managed. "And look what I found."

As Sam held his out to re-light the wick on Sebastian's candle, Abigail took the object he was holding in his other hand.

"This has to be hers," she concluded, holding up the tennis shoe, which was well worn and weathered with dirt and grass stains. She frowned. "No blood."

Sam groaned. "Dang, Abi, so morbid."

"What?" She shrugged. "I was just saying, is all."

"You found it?" Sebastian's voice heightened with interest upon seeing the ring.

"Yeah, just in that tree over there." Sam pointed a thumb behind him.

"We must be close, then," Sebastian concluded, scanning the area. He pointed to the steep base of the cliff, the natural barrier of the farm, where light was lost into a tall gap in the rock formation. "There!"

"Close to what?" Sam eyed his friends cautiously. "You two aren't serious about going into a potential monster...den...thing?"

"Calm down, Sam, I'll protect your wimp ass," said Abigail. She lifted the inside of her jacket where a dagger was secured in a sheath.

"What?! How long have you had that with you?"

Abigail folded her arms. "Doesn't your boyfriend keep a sword on him at all times?"

Sam frowned. "I mean, yeah, but--"

"So what's the difference?" She raised her eyebrows. "Are you upset because I'm a girl?"

Sam shrugged. "It just scared me."

There was a silence between them for a few moments before Sebastian spoke up. "Let's go."

They ventured into the mouth of the cave. The faint sound of dripping water echoed off the stone walls, and they reached a large chamber with a high ceiling, at least as much as they could tell in the candlelight.

"Wow," said Abigail, looking up at the walls. "Do you think this is it?" She kicked something with her foot and nearly screamed.

"What is it?" Sam said as he and Sebastian hurried to her side.

She took the shoe she was carrying and laid it down on the ground next to its match, completing the pair.

"Fuck," Sam breathed.

"This IS it," Abigail said, eyes wide.

Sebastian spoke up. "I think I saw feathers over there."

The three of them moved in for inspection. Sure enough, traces of the deceased chickens appeared sporadically along the cave floor.

"It's clearly been here," Sebastian concluded, scanning the area. "So the question is, where is it?"

Sam's voice nearly squeaked with fear as he tried to speak. "Maybe it...left town?"

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Come on, something like that doesn't just disappear." She gasped in realization. "What if it's out hunting, right now?"

Sebastian and Sam both froze at the thought.

Sam cleared his throat. "I think we should go back to town."

Sebastian nodded.

As they made their way back through the forest, the three of them were hesitant to process what they had seen.

"All we found was her shoe," Abigail reasoned. "You'd think if the monster took her, there would be more evidence."

"Shoes plural," Sebastian corrected her, holding up the pair by the laces. "But it did seem oddly clean."

"And Sam," Abigail began, "You said you found Volodya in the woods that morning?"

He adopted a more defensive tone. "Yeah, why?"

"I just think it might be connected, is all." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Sam scowled. "You're trying to accuse him of cheating again."

"You have to admit, it could be a possibility," Sebastian interjected. "Or do you have some proof based on the phone calls you won't let us listen in on?"

"Some things are just meant to be kept private," Sam countered. "I don't tell everyone I meet about the time you had to use the girl's bathroom at that gridball game in high school."

Sebastian blushed. "Why did you have to bring that up?"

"He's obviously using your trust to manipulate you," Abigail continued. "He's clearly hiding something."

"Why don't you just leave it alone--already," Sam said, tripping as something caught his foot. He bent down to pick up the t-shirt that was caught on a low shrub.

"Oh. That's where that went."

Abigail paused, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Sam scratched the back of his neck. "Um, this is Volodya's...he was missing it after I found him on Friday..."

Abigail's eyes grew wide. "Do you mean to say that not only did you find him in the woods acting strange the morning Penny disappeared, but he was also shirtless?"

Sam froze, lost in thought as he held the shirt in one hand. "Actually, he wasn't wearing any clothes."

Abigail threw up one hand, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, are you kidding me?! And you don't think he's cheating on you?"

"No, because I know him, Abi!" Sam cried back. "I know him better than anyone!"

"That's unlikely," Sebastian scoffed.

Sam's eyes met with his, and they stared each other down for a few moments.

"That's it," said Sam. He swiped the shoes out of Sebastian's hands and took off running towards the house, which had just become visible as they reached the edge of the woods. He didn't stop until he reached the front door, which he tore open. Once inside, he dropped the articles of clothing and leaned against the closed door, sliding down to the floor with his face in his hands. As he caught his breath, Strawberry wandered over and began rubbing her cheek against his shins. He watched her, slowly regaining his composure. In his pocket, his phone buzzed several times. Taking it out and setting it face down on the floor, he ignored it.

***

Volodya leaned against the window of the bus as it approached Stardew Valley. The landscape was dimming as the grey skies turned to evening.

When the bus pulled up to the stop, he saw Sam there, eagerly waiting. Sam's face lit up when he stepped off the bus, and immediately he dropped his bag and they ran to each other to meet in an enveloping hug.

"I missed you," Sam breathed into his neck. "Are you feeling better?"

Volodya nodded. He smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind Sam's ear. It wasn't long before their lips met. When they finally pulled away, his smile was still intact. "I missed you, too."

A few raindrops began to fall on their shoulders. They smiled at each other with the mutual intent to hurry indoors.

As they reached the house and went inside, Sam pulled open the fridge. "What are you thinking for dinner?"

Volodya approached him from behind, threading his arms around Sam's waist. "I'm thinking a snack."

Sam grinned. "Who, me?"

He turned around and kissed his partner, and in between breaths of laughter, they moved to the couch, where Volodya began greedily removing his shirt. Sam kept his hands on Volodya's shoulders as the man made a trail of kisses down his bare chest. He glanced up at Sam as his fingers undid Sam's belt buckle from memory.

"Keep going," Sam murmured, and with his arms splayed against the back of the couch, he moaned as his partner felt him through the soft cotton of his underwear.

Volodya ran his fingers over the bulge, glancing up at his partner for confirmation before pulling down the elastic band of the shorts and freeing Sam's member from its confines.

Volodya glanced at it and smirked. "Have I ever told you I love your dick?"

Sam smirked back. "So prove it."

"Shut up," Volodya laughed, and Sam kicked him gently, as he rose his arms in defense. Outside, the rain continued to pour.

***

A few hours later, after a session of making love, followed by a session of mostly naked cooking, the two were lying in bed, Sam strumming a guitar, Volodya checking the messages on his phone. Rain continued to patter against the window in the dark.

"Hey, what is this?" Volodya rolled over to show Sam the photo he had sent.

Sam stopped strumming on his guitar. "You didn't see that? The whole thing is weird."

"No, I think it was when I was totally out on pain meds." Volodya looked at the picture again, holding his phone above his face with both hands as he lie on his back. "Penny took this?"

Sam gave a shrug and kept strumming. "It's kind of a long story. I found her camera on the farm and developed the film. That's what was on it."

Volodya bolted upright.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked, placing a hand on the strings to stop the vibration. He examined his companion's pale expression. "Seen a ghost?"

Volodya shook his head, staring off into space.

"Babe, what is it?" Sam placed a hand on his Volodya's arm. "You can tell me."

His mouth hung open. He blinked anxiously. "I don't know if that will make it better or worse."

"Oh." Sam's arm fell. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want me to."

"No, I..." Volodya's eyes flitted upwards, briefly meeting his gaze before losing it again. "I should tell you. But it's going to sound insane."

Sam set his guitar aside and leaned forward to listen. "Try me."

Volodya exhaled, the color returning to his face. "Never mind. It's not that important."

Sam blinked. "Oh. Okay."

Volodya flashed a smile and lunged towards him, wrapping his arms around Sam's waist. Sam responded by placing a hand on his back, pulling him close. They rested together for a few minutes, Volodya silently dozing off.

Sam didn't know if he was still awake, but Sam spoke anyway. "Are you going to compete in the fair this year?"

"It's me. I'm the monster."

Sam gave a laugh. "That would be ridiculous."

Volodya didn't even open his eyes. Sam could feel Volodya's jaw moving on his chest as he spoke ever so softly. "I don't just get blackouts. I have this other form that I turn into. I've killed people."

Sam's smile remained plastered on his face as he waited for his partner to give up the joke. But instead, he said nothing. Sam cleared his throat. "What do you mean, you've killed people?"

This time, Volodya opened his eyes and sat up. His face was wholly grave as he spoke. "I'm a werewolf."

Sam's face filled with laughter again. He elbowed Volodya in the ribs. "You can't be serious. Do you honestly think you can pull this Twilight level bullshit on me?"

"Sam, think about it!" Volodya's voice was at normal level, no longer marred by sleep. "The first time I had a blackout here was last spring, the same time Marnie's cow went missing. Sebastian said he saw the monster across the lake; I was in the mines that night. And then the chickens? I had a blackout at the same time!"

"But you were injured," Sam said, baffled. "The animal attacked you!"

"I don't know exactly what happened," Volodya conceded. "But the fact that I turned is definitely true. And it's not just those times, this happened before when I lived in Zuzu."

"Like there's animals to attack in Zuzu. What, did some squirrels disappear?" Sam quipped skeptically. At the silence of his boyfriend, he grew troubled, suddenly remembering what he had said earlier. "Wait...you said you killed people?!"

Again, Volodya was silent. Sam slowly descended into a panic.

"No, no...I would have heard about that. Right?"

"It's in the news reports. You can search for them."

Sam shook his head. "This has to be..this has to be a prank." He looked up at his partner. "It's not funny anymore, you can cut it out."

Volodya pulled out his phone again. In the browser window, he opened up one of the many bookmarked news reports. He handed it to Sam, who took it with disbelief.

"'4 Found Dead Under Highway Overpass.' This was just last year." Sam looked to him with wide eyes. "I remember...when we went to play that gig. Some guy was talking to the bartender about it."

Volodya nodded. Sam returned the phone to him, rubbing his face. Without another word, Sam reached underneath the bed and reached next to the pair of Penny's shoes. He pulled out the shoebox of photos, rummaging through them until he found the one of the monster, and held it up.

"So you're saying..." Sam slowly concluded. "This is you?"

Volodya shrugged. "I can't know for sure. Like I said, I never remember anything. But it's possible."

"And Penny," Sam continued, as though he were in a trance, "who went missing, you're saying you killed her, too?"

Volodya's face scrunched up as though he were in pain. He closed his eyes and hugged his knees into his chest. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper. "I don't know."

Sam felt something surge through him, and he stood up. "You, you've been hiding this the whole time! The investigation, you just happened to pick the perfect time to leave town--"

"It's never planned," Volodya argued, "it just happens. Actually, we're lucky it happened before I went into the city, there could have been more casualties--"

"'Casualties'? Is that what you call them?!" Sam's voice echoed throughout the room. "Penny wasn't just a 'casualty,' everyone knew her! She was Vincent's teacher, she was Maru's best friend, she wasn't just some statistic for you to add to your list!"

"That's not how I want to see it either, but I can't change what happened!" Volodya folded his arms, leaning back against the wall.

"And this whole time, Seb and Abi, they've been obsessing over this whole monster thing," Sam added. "You just played along, even though you knew? "You took them into the mines!"

"They wanted to go," Volodya defended. "And what was I supposed to say? This isn't something you just tell people!"

"You could have told me!" Sam gestured to himself emphatically. "Does't that seem like something I should know?"

"I'm telling you now," Volodya said, his voice softer. His intimidating posture had subsided. "It's something very personal about me. Almost nobody knows."

Sam's arms fell to his sides. After being lost in thought for a few minutes, he pulled his pillow and a blanket from the bed and moved towards the living room.

"Sam!" Volodya called after him, getting up from his spot on the bed and hurrying after him. "Are you really doing this?"

Sam didn't look up as he set the pillow on the couch and laid down, cocooning himself in the blanket.

"Fine," Volodya said, leaning against the door frame. "Be that way."

Sam didn't respond, just rolled over to face into the couch. Volodya felt something brush past his leg and looked down to see Strawberry strut past him to jump onto the couch and curl up in the space behind Sam's knees.

"Really? You too," Volodya said in a low voice, completely dejected. He returned to his bed and turned off the light. There was no sound in the house but the sound of the rain outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter this time. And if y'all think this is the climax, hoo boy, are y'all in store. Thanks for reading as always, and I appreciate every comment and kudos. See you next week with another update!


	16. Light and Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EARLY UPDATE!!! Enjoy! 
> 
> ~void entity

Volodya woke up in the early morning and rubbed his eyes, arms extending into the empty space next to him. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

He got up and threw on a sweatshirt, coincidentally Sam's, but he didn't care. He completed the outfit with shorts and sandals, the first low-effort articles of clothing he could find, and very slowly walked through the living room so as to not wake Sam.

When he opened the front door, he was surprised to see Lewis and a woman in a Sheriff's uniform coming up the steps.

"Good morning!" Lewis called.

Volodya quickly stepped out onto the porch and closed the front door. "Sam's still sleeping."

"Oh, sorry," Lewis corrected himself in a quieter voice. "I didn't know when you'd be back from your trip."

"I just got back last night," Volodya explained calmly. "What's going on?"

The officer stepped forward. "We're investigating a missing person. Can we ask you a few questions, sir?"

Volodya blinked. "Of course."

The woman held out a photograph. "Do you know this woman? When was the last time you saw her?"

"Penny?" Volodya furrowed his brow. "The other week? I ran into her at Haley's house."

The officer took out her notepad and began writing something down. "Do you remember when exactly?"

"It was a couple weeks ago, I think."

"I'll leave you two to chat," Lewis said, giving a wave. Volodya waved back, and the officer nodded once before Lewis stepped down from the porch and left.

"Do you remember what she was doing there, at Haley's? Did anything about her seem off to you?" the officer continued.

"I don't know her that well," Volodya admitted. "She was there to get some photos developed. Me and Haley were talking in the kitchen, and she came in, looked kind of surprised to see me, and left."

"I see," said the detective, writing something down on her pad. "And this was the last time you saw her?"

"Yes."

"And you've been out of town?"

"Yes," Volodya explained. "I've been in the city. I left Friday morning and just got back last night."

The officer finished writing her notes. "So, about Penny, you didn't know her well at all?"

"No." Volodya folded his arms. "That's why it was so strange when she brought me into the hospital."

The detective glanced up from her notes with greater interest. "When was this?"

"A couple months ago. I was attacked by an animal, and she was there when I woke up in the clinic. She said she found me here on the farm--Sorry," he said as his mind wandered away from the conversation. He remembered what Sam had told him, about how she had taken pictures of him.

"Do you know why she would have been on the farm when she found you?"

"No." Volodya stared off in the space. "I don't know how. Like I said, I didn't even know her."

"I see. Well," she said, closing her notepad. "I don't want to take up any more of your time. I just have something else to ask you, would we be able to search your property?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You need to search my house?"

"No, I don't think that will be necessary, just your property out here," she explained, gesturing to the farm. "I called in a K9 unit. We don't think it's a homicide just yet, but we're doing our best to find any evidence that we can. There they are."

Volodya looked over to the road, where a police car had just pulled up. Another officer got out with a police dog.

The detective turned her attention back to Volodya.

"Sure, go ahead," he told her.

"Thank you. This will just take a couple hours," she explained, and Volodya watched her leave with the other officer and the K9 to comb the farm.

***

When the officer knocked on the front door again, Volodya and Sam were sitting apart from each other at the kitchen table, empty plates in front of them, neither speaking. Without a word, Volodya stood up to answer the door.

"Good morning again," the officer greeted him. Behind her, the other officer stood in the yard with the dog. "Thanks for letting us conduct a search on your property. I'm just going to be straight with you, we have some evidence that Penny was commiting what many jurisdictions would consider stalker behavior towards you, so we had reason to believe you might be involved with her disappearance."

"Stalker behavior?"

"Yes."

There was an awkward silence between them as Volodya waited for her to expand on that statement, but she did nothing.

The officer cleared her throat. "Anyway, the dog didn't find anything, and you clearly left town before she went missing, since we had a neighbor confirm she was home on Friday night. Sorry for your trouble, and have a good rest of your day."

"Thanks, officer," he said, and she nodded before walking back down the porch steps.

Volodya closed the door and sat down on couch next to Sam, who was blankly watching TV. A couple minutes after they heard the car drive off, Sam turned off the television and turned to his partner.

"So they didn't find anything?"

Volodya shook his head.

"Okay," Sam said, staring off into space. "What does that mean? Does that mean you didn't..."

"I don't know what it means."

Sam turned to him again. "This thing, you said you don't have any control over it?"

Volodya nodded. "It just happens. And I don't even remember any of it."

Sam exhaled. "Okay." He inched towards Volodya and reached his arms out, pulling him into an embrace, which Volodya returned without hesitation. "It's okay," Sam whispered. He felt Volodya nod gently.

***

The sky was overcast but not rainy on the day of the annual Stardew Valley Fair. The festivities continued as normal, but the town seemed more ill at ease since the disappearance.

"Maybe she just ran away to start a more interesting life."

"No way, I heard she was stalking the farmer, so she left town to follow him."

Volodya overheard Emily and Haley talking in line in front of him as they waited for the barbecue.

"Then why isn't she back yet? I'm telling you, she got a hint of that big city life and this town is history."

"Well, I'm pretty sure she was taking pictures of him."

Emily made a "shh" motion, putting a finger to her lips and gesturing with her eyes. Haley glanced at the farmer behind her, who was trying to act like he couldn't hear, but it was too late.

"Oh, hey, Volodya! How long have you been in town?" Her voice was bright to make up for the lack of sunshine. "I heard you left."

"Yeah, I got back last week," he explained.

"Oh, nice," she said, flashing a smile. "Are you excited for survival burgers? Gus makes the best."

"Oh, yeah," Emily chimed in. "Have you ever had one before? I think I've seen you around the saloon a few times."

"I don't think I've tried them," Volodya admitted.

"You're in for a treat," Emily said with a grin. "Hey, how are your crops this year?"

"We'll find out in a couple hours when they judge the grange displays," Volodya said, raising his eyebrows.

Haley laughed. Emily just frowned. "I guess we will."

Volodya laughed. "They're doing well, thanks for asking. I'm saving a couple pumpkins to carve for Spirits' Eve."

"Ooh, I love carving pumpkins," said Emily.

After getting a couple burgers on plates, Volodya returned to the picnic tables where Sam, Abigail, and Sebastian were rather quietly sitting. He handed Sam a plate.

"Thanks!" Sam said, his eyes lit up at the sight of food. He buried his face in the sandwich as Volodya sat down next to him.

"There seem to be less tourists this year," Abigail remarked, craning her neck to look around the other tables.

A cold wind blew through, and she pulled closer around her jacket.

"Ah," Sebastian said, lifting his hand as he got a splinter. He had been chipping away at some paint on the corner of the table. "What if," he began, his arms falling to his sides as he stared at the table in thought. "What if the monster we're looking for isn't a monster the whole time, like what if it was someone in town who turns into a monster at night, but is completely normal during the day?"

He didn't look up to notice both Sam and Volodya had frozen, a half eaten piece of onion falling out of Volodya's mouth. He quickly wiped it off his shirt as he and Sam exchanged glances.

Abigail laughed. "That'd be ridiculous. Who in town would that even be?"

Sebastian shrugged. "It was just a joke."

Another silence fell between them.

"Mayor Lewis," Volodya suggested.

"Yes!" Abigail grinned. "That would be brilliant! For him to lead his own investigation? Imagine that."

"What does he have against Penny?" Sebastian snickered.

"I don't know," Abigail said, "a deep seated hatred that no one knows about until now?"

Volodya laughed at that one.

Having finished his burger, Sam tapped Volodya on the shoulder. "I'm going to get my fortune read, want to come?"

"They read fortunes?" Volodya responded with intrigue.

"Yeah, the fortune teller from channel 6 comes out every year," Sam said, standing up from the bench. He laid a hand on Volodya's shoulder. "Want to get your fortune read?"

"Fuck yes," Volodya said with a grin. "See you guys later," he said to Sebastian and Abigail before getting up to follow Sam.

The fortune teller's tent was set up in the graveyard. Together, they opened the tent flap and stepped inside, but the cloaked woman called out to them.

"One guest at a time, please."

Volodya laid a hand on Sam's arm. "You go ahead."

Sam smiled to him and nodded. "That's nice of you. I'll be right out."

Volodya stepped outside. The graveyard was quiet, it seemed not to many people were out to get their fortunes read. He stepped to the side of the tent and was surprised to see an oddly dressed man hanging around. Upon seeing Volodya, he raised an eyebrow, his mustached face otherwise giving off no emotion. He propped up his fancy walking stick on a stone.

"Hey, there," said Volodya, trying to be friendly. "Are you in town for the fair."

"No, actually I live here," the man answered. Upon seeing Volodya's confused expression, he gestured to the west. "In a tower, over near Cindersap. I apologize I'm a bit of a hermit. Although I believe I've seen you around, young farmer."

"Oh," Volodya said, still made uneasy by the man's answer. "You didn't just see me and assume my grandfather had gotten younger?" he joked.

The man tilted his head as he pondered the thought. "Nope. Can't say stranger things have happened, though." He held out his hand. "Rasmodius, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Volodya," the farmer said, giving his hand a firm shake. "What was that? Ras..."

"Some folks just call me The Wizard," Rasmodius explained, to which Volodya just lifted an eyebrow. "Be seeing you around."

Volodya nodded cautiously, and with that, the man turned and left the graveyard. Volodya just stared silently after him until he heard Sam's voice behind him.

"It's kind of a funny story, what she told me," Sam said. "Although I think it's kind of a scam."

Volodya laughed. "What did she tell you then?"

"Something about 'someone close to you is not who they say they are.'" Sam smirked. "Do you want to go next?"

"Why?" Volodya grinned. "Didn't you just say it's kind of a scam?"

"Well, yeah," Sam said with a shrug.

As they walked back towards the center of town, they found Sebastian smoking behind some bushes.

"Hey man, had enough at the slingshot game?" Sam asked him.

Sebastian shrugged. "It gets old."

Abigail wandered over from the grange displays. "Well, my dad won again. Sorry Volodya," she said, giving him a sympathetic look.

"It's alright," he said flatly.

"Her dad wins every year, like no contest," Sam explained. "We'll get him next year."

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Volodya asked, his smile widening.

"Um..." A spot of color flooded Sam's cheeks. "I mean you, I just meant, I've been helping out on the farm a lot, but if you don't want me to, that's cool, I understand it's your thing, like--"

"Damn!" Volodya elbowed Sam in the side. "Sam, do you want to run the farm with me? You could quit your old job at the mart!"

Sam's mouth fell open. "Shit, could I? I mean, you really want me to?"

Volodya smiled. "Dude, you've been doing everything already, I don't know why you haven't asked for a cut of the profits yet."

"Really?" Sam seemed ecstatic. He leaned in close to his boyfriend, and then, remembering they were in a public place, settled on a hug.

Abigail rolled her eyes. "Are you two girls done playing house? I want to go check out the weapons in Clint's display." She turned on her heel and left the scene.

Sebastian extinguished the butt of his cigarette in the ground and stepped on it, giving them a quick look before following after her.

***

It was a sunny afternoon as Volodya chopped wood in the forest adjacent to his house. A light breeze blew through the air, and he took another swing and stood back as another tree fell. He heard a few steps behind him crunching in the fall leaves, and he spun his head around.

"Sam!" He set the ax aside.

Sam came running towards him. "I did it!"

"You did it?" Volodya said in surprise as he held out his arms. "You quit?"

"I quit!" Sam said with a grin as he collided with Volodya in a hearty embrace.

"So...what? No notice or anything?"

"Nope." Sam breathed a laugh. "Just said, 'Fuck it, I'm out of here.'"

Volodya grinned and grabbed the sides of his boyfriend's face to pull him in for a kiss.

When they pulled away, Sam kept an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders as he surveyed the work done on the trees. "What are you up to?"

"I'm clearing the trees in this area, hopefully to get a barn built before winter."

"You think so?" Sam said, nodding.

"Yeah." Volodya frowned in thought. "I want to get to raising some animals, because there's not much farming to do in the winter. I'm thinking about getting more chickens for the coop, too."

"Chickens? But what about--" Sam stopped himself.

Volodya wrapped an arm around his waist. "I know. But it's worth it to sell the eggs. Maybe we can be more careful this time."

Sam nodded. "Okay," he said, rubbing his hands together. "How do I start with this?"

Volodya pointed to the tree lying on the ground. "We'll start by chopping this up into firewood."

"Sounds simple enough." Sam took off his jacket and picked up the ax. Volodya stepped back as he began breaking up the log into smaller pieces. After a few minutes, he looked back to see his partner watching him with wide eyes. "What?"

Volodya laughed. "Just enjoying the view."

Sam grinned. "You want more?" He set the ax down and took off his shirt. When he looked up again, Volodya was fully blushing.

"That's...nice," was all his boyfriend could manage.

Sam laughed.

***

"Boo!"

Volodya jumped several inches from where he was lying on the couch. Strawberry jumped off his stomach and disappeared under the coffee table.

"Geez," he said, rubbing his face as he saw it was just Sam. A smile crept into the corners of his mouth. "How are the chickens?"

"Good," said Sam. He leaned in to kiss Volodya's forehead, brushing his hair away with one hand. "It snowed again."

"Again?" Volodya sat up. Out the front windows, he could see white. "How long was I out?"

"I don't know," Sam said with a laugh as he plopped down on the couch next to him. "You always get up so early to feed the cows, and then a few hours later you're wiped out again."

"I guess I'm getting old," Volodya said with a sleepy smile.

"Too old to build a snowman with me?"

Volodya lifted an eyebrow. "How could I say no?" He stood up and yawned. He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "We should eat first."

Sam rolled his eyes with a grin. "I knew you would say that."

***

The two of them burst out the front door in their winter gear and bounded down the porch steps in glee as they took to the snow like small children. Volodya began rolling a ball along the ground.

"I think we should put the snowman here so--"

He was caught off-guard as Sam pelted him with a snowball. "Hey!" he said, quickly gathering one to throw back.

Sam raised his arms in defense, unable to contain his laughter as the snowball hit him. "That's it, I declare war!"

"What?" Volodya said, laughing. "You threw the first strike!"

"It was preemptive!" Sam countered, and the battle ensued. After throwing several snowballs back and forth, Sam raised his arms. "Retreat!"

He turned and fled into the field, stepping over the snow-covered remains of last season's crops. Volodya tackled him, bringing him to the ground. As they lie there in the snow, Volodya rolled onto his back, laughing, clutching at the sleeve of Sam's coat. Sam grinned, gazing at his lover under the pink sky of sunset. He saw the man who greeted him in the early morning, with frost-touched ears as he carried pails of fresh milk from the barn, the man who looked so peaceful as he slept on the couch by the fireplace as the cat he had been reluctant to befriend lay on his stomach.

"Hey," Sam whispered.

Volodya hit him with those deep brown eyes, somehow responding to his remark without without opening his mouth.

"I--" Sam paused as he was distracted by the holes in his sleeve, small tears in the fabric where Volodya's hand rested.

"Oh," Volodya said softly, retracting his hand. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Sam asked, sitting up and examining the damage.

Volodya was already removing his own coat. "You should probably get inside," he said. His voice was calm, almost inaudible.

"Why?" Sam asked, his eyes widening as the other man's hands were removed from his gloves. His nails had grown long and sharp. Black.

Volodya didn't look up. "You know why."

Sam stood there, frozen, as his partner continued to undress. Finally, Volodya hit him with his gaze again, this time fully serious.

"Go!"

Sam backtracked on the ground, finally stumbling to his feet. A strong sense of fear flooded his faculties. He took off running, first for the house, but instead kept running, finding himself making his way along a back country road leading to the mountains. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he needed to go. He saw a light in the distance, something out of place under the evening sky. He slowed his pace, nearly crashing into the person holding a flashlight.

"Seb! What are you doing here?" he breathed.

"I need to talk to you," said his friend, sounding utterly resolute.

"Now's not the time," said Sam, his eyes darting around the area. "We have to get out of here."

"This is important to me," Sebastian pressed. "Can we just talk for--"

The two of them froze as a chilling cry echoed in the distance. Sam swiped the flashlight out of Sebastian's hand and shone it down the road in the direction he came.

He gave a sigh in relief. Putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, he looked to him with worried eyes. "Okay, we can talk later, but we really need to get out of here."

Sebastian nodded, and he turned to walk back up the road. Just as he did so, something swiped him out of the air, bringing him upward and throwing him violently into the snow.

"Sebastian!" Sam cried out, and he shone the flashlight at his friend's body, lying as though he had been made of paper, crumpled into a pile on the ground several yards away. He swung the flashlight around in horror, trying to find the source of the attack, feeling his heart stop when it illuminated, if just for an instant, the feet that he recognized from the photo. Falling backwards into the snow, he swallowed, unable to move as he heard it trample over to Sebastian's body, growling and making unpleasant scratching sounds.

He sat there for sometime, until the area was silent. Hoping the monster had left, he found the flashlight again, and shone it over Sebastian's body. Instead, two milky white eyes looked back at him, grotesque teeth hanging open as the beast hunched over the corpse. Slowly, it stood up, and Sam could see it at its full height: two, even three times taller than him. Even under direct light, it was unsettlingly difficult to make out its dark form: odd shifting angles in its ligaments, its outer skin an unknown composure of hair, scales, even feathers. Its ears twitched. Sam remained immobile as it stepped towards him, smelling him as he shivered both from fear and from the cold. He heard its low growl echoing inside of him.

In an instant, he was pulled away into the night.

***

When Sam awoke, he heard a faint whisper of shivering. It was an odd feeling when he realized it wasn't his own, wondering if it was just a memory playing in his head. He saw a light in front of him and reached for it, holding up the flashlight to illuminate the walls of the cave. He remembered that cave.

He turned and found Volodya lying on the ground, curled up in a ball, shivering. He looked so weak, the right side of his body still covered in scars. Instinctively, Sam took off his coat and laid it over him. The man's condition seemed to improve with the addition of clothing, as his breathing slowed. Eventually, he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Where are we?"

Sam couldn't bring himself to speak.

Volodya looked around the cave walls. He shifted his focus to Sam, who was sitting quietly, avoiding eye contact. Volodya leaned towards him, putting a hand on

Sam's shoulder. "Hey--"

Sam shoved his arm off, causing Volodya to be taken aback. He returned to hugging his knees in his chest, huddling in the warmth of his boyfriend's coat.

"What do you remember from yesterday?" Sam said flatly.

"I remember us playing in the snow," Volodya remarked. "Why, did something happen?" His tone changed. "Something happened."

Sam shook his head. "How can you not remember?" His face was hot with tears. "You killed my best friend."

"Sebastian?"

"So you do remember."

Sam pursed his lips tightly, taking note as Volodya didn't answer. They sat there in more painful silence until Volodya spoke up again.

"Sam, I'm so sorry--"

"It's too late!" Sam lashed back at him. He stood up and began taking off his snow pants, leaving his sweats on underneath. "We need to go back. We need to find him."

"Won't you be cold?" Volodya asked as Sam handed him the outerwear.

"I don't care," Sam said, taking his boots off.

"No, keep your shoes," Volodya said, pulling on the pants. "I'll be fine."

Sam shook his head. He took off his socks instead, and Volodya put them on.

"You can have your coat back, and give me my shirt," Volodya suggested.

Sam agreed, removing his flannel shirt, which happened to be Volodya's. When they were ready to leave, they resembled an odd pair of half dressed proportions.

Sam led the way through the woods, using a flashlight as a guide. Volodya followed closely behind, taking in the scenery. From the way he was acting, ready to head in the wrong direction if Sam didn't stop him, it seemed as though he had never been there before, at least not in waking hours. They reached the country road and the farmer gasped with recognition, like he finally figured out where they were.

A light snow began to fall, and a dull morning light was barely peeked over the hills when they reached the location of the incident. Sam held out his hand to stop Volodya from nearly walking through it.

In the snow, there was an imprint to indicate that the altercation had happened, the space for Sebastian's body, trails of blood leaked out onto the snow. Sam blinked in disbelief.

"W-where is he?" he stammered. "It's like he just got up and walked away."

"Look," Volodya said, pointing at the ground. Along with the tracks of the monster, a set of average-sized footprints made their way up to the spot, and seemingly vanished.

"Where did these come from?" Sam asked, his brow furrowed. He followed them with his gaze, as they seemed to come from the direction of the farm.

"Maybe he got up and walked backwards?" Volodya suggested. Sam shot him a dirty look, and he quickly shut up, acknowledging that now was not the time for jokes.

Sam took another hard look at the empty space in the snow where his friend had been. He exhaled, his breath visible in the morning light.

***

Volodya sat on the foot of the bed, arms folded, hunched over as Sam walked back and forth, gathering clothes to put in a duffel bag. Outside, a light snow was falling.

"Where are you going to go?" Volodya asked, not looking up from the spot on the carpet where he kept his gaze.

"My mom's. She'll be happy to see me."

Volodya nodded. He didn't point out that Sam hated his mother. He didn't ask why.

A few more minutes passed before he spoke again.

"And your old job, what are they going to say when you ask for it back?" His voice was flat and listless.

"I don't know." Sam knelt down to zip up his bag. When he was finished, he left, unable to say goodbye. Volodya didn't look up as his former partner walked out of the room, as he heard the sound of the front door open and close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> удари меня глазами


	17. [Title missing]

Noelle's head was throbbing as she woke up underneath a dim, flickering fluorescent light. The air smelled musty, and she was lying on top of what was in essence a bed, but at the same time felt like more of the cardboard cutout of the real thing. She pressed against the down feather pillow with her hand as she sat up, feeling as though she was moving for the first time in several hundred years.

She clutched her head, which was still in pain. Glancing around the room, she saw a girl about her age, sitting at a table, reading a book. Noticing her, the girl's face lit up, and she rushed to Noelle's side, sitting next to her on the bed.

"Brother! It's good to see you are awake!"

Noelle's eyes widened, partly from the strange way the girl was acting, but partly from recognizing her.

"Penny?"

The girl smiled. "Yes, Sebastian, it's me. I'm your Sister now. Our Leader has been so kind as to give me a Brother!"

Noelle stared back at her in horror.

***

It was late autumn, and Noelle found herself home alone. Her mother was doing some project out on the farm, her sister was at the clinic, and Demetrius had been gone in the city several days for a conference. It was the perfect time for her to lock herself in the bathroom again.

She shut the door and placed the box of supplies on the counter. Some of it belonged to Abigail, things she had nicked while over at her friend's house. Much of it was ordered online, under her sister's name of course, and then she had taken great care to hide it away before Maru found out, wondering why some makeup had come in the mail which she had not ordered. Noelle rolled her eyes; if only her sister were different, maybe she could have just "borrowed" some from her like she had with her friend. And don't even mention her mother. Somehow, Noelle was the only person who cared about style in this family.

She balanced a laptop on the corner of the counter top, Youtube tutorials at the ready. As she climbed to sit next to the mirror, she took a deep breath. These things were always ridiculously complicated, but she was patient. She had time. It was...just after 1pm? Several hours to give her time to come up with something decent, and then wash it off before anyone could notice. She ran a hand through her hair. Yoba, if Abigail made one more fucking comment about it getting longer...

Some time later, she stepped back, taking in the effect of her new face. It wasn't...terrible? She felt conflicted: in one sense it was euphoric, the way the contour accented her cheekbones, but it took a lot to push aside the feeling that she might as well be putting lipstick on some hairless rodent. She played around with parting her hair, brushing it out. The red hair at the roots was beginning to show again; she would need to fix that. She pulled out a dress and heels, careful to pull her sweatshirt off without touching her face. When she was fully dressed up, she studied herself in the mirror. She took out her phone and took a few pictures, trying to find the best angle to make her muscles look smaller. She remembered there was a full length mirror in her closet downstairs, and she checked her phone again.

Noelle stepped out in the hallway, scrolling through the pictures she had taken, walking with the heels well enough as she took a step towards her room. She glanced up and froze. Standing at the end of the hallway, as shocked as she was, was her step father.

Immediately, she stumbled, rolling over her ankle. She cursed, quickly limping back into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Sebastian?"

Noelle didn't answer, just sat on the floor of the bathroom, feeling her nerves take over. She felt the tears begin to fall. Demetrius was knocking on the door.

"It's okay, I just want to talk."

Noelle coughed, trying to make out words. Finally, she managed, "Please don't tell my mom."

"I'm not going to tell your mom," he promised. There was a pause in his voice. "I'll give you a few minutes. Come find me in the kitchen and we can talk."

Noelle didn't answer, hoping he would leave. He didn't.

"Sebastian, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she choked. Probably the biggest lie she could tell.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you."

There was another silence.

"Okay?" he asked, begging an answer.

"Okay," she answered back.

***

When Noelle had sufficiently wiped off all the makeup and changed back into her usual clothes, hiding in the security of her sweatshirt, she stepped out into the hallway again. The stairs down to her room looked tempting. Against her better judgement, she slowly made her way into the kitchen. Demetrius was sitting at the table.

"There you are!" he said, the second she quietly stepped into the room. "Please, sit down." When she didn't move, he added, "I'm not mad at you."

Hesitantly, she sat down at the table across from him.

"Thank you," he said calmly. "Now, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

Noelle cleared her throat, focusing her gaze on a spot on the table. "I thought you weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow."

"Okay," Demetrius said with a laugh. "You certainly picked the wrong time for your calculations to be off."

Noelle felt something warm inside her, and despite the sense of unease, she managed a smile.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked.

She shifted in her chair. "A while."

"I bet it has," said Demetrius, leaning back and folding his arms. "What I saw back there, that looked professional. You got your hair done up and everything?"

Noelle's face turned red, and she began crying, hands rubbing her eyes in shame.

Demetrius' expression changed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're going through."

She nodded, wiping her nose, finally calming down enough to speak. "I've been taking estrogen. It's all according to instructions I found on the internet. I don't even know if I'm doing it right. One time, I think I hit a nerve, and my leg went numb. That was really...fucking scary," she said, giving up on politeness. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing."

Demetrius was silent, his brow furrowed with a deep look of concern. After some time, he leaned forward. "As a biologist, I know there's so much we don't understand. It would be nice if everyone could fit into distinct categories, but that's simply not the case. If you think going on hormones is going to make you feel better, then that's what we need to do."

Noelle glanced up at him, her eyes beginning to water once more.

"And we don't need to go to the clinic here in town," Demetrius continued. "We'll find you a good endocrinologist, someone in the city. Your mother and your sister don't need to know unless you want them to."

Noelle bit her lip and nodded. Demetrius reached out and placed his hand on hers. Without thinking too hard, she squeezed it back.

***

Later that night, Noelle sat at the dinner table with the rest of her family, quietly eating green beans with a fork as they talked.

"Sebastian, do you remember if Sam has ever had a girlfriend?"

Noelle looked up. She gave her mother a shrug. "I think once in high school."

Robin lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I went to go let the farmer know the barn was finished, and I looked in the front window of the house and saw him and Sam making out on the couch."

"They're dating," Maru confirmed. "Sam came to visit him while he was in the clinic."

"So did Sebastian," Robin countered, turning towards her. "Didn't you? Unless there's something you want to tell us..."

Noelle glanced at her, and then she returned to sipping her water, pretending like nothing was happening.

"No, I meant it looked serious when Sam came to visit," Maru explained. "Sam spent the night with the farmer and brought him food and clothes. They kissed in front of me."

"Wow," said Robin, eating a bite of chicken. "Stardew Valley has its own pair of gays." She let out a harsh laugh. "I wonder which one wears the pants in the relationship?"

Demetrius swallowed, setting his fork down. "Dear, I think that's enough. Their relationship is their business."

"Alright," Robin surrendered. "I was just making a joke."

An awkward silence hung in the air before Demetrius spoke again. "So at my conference, there was an interesting presentation on the cell structures of different species of wood..."

Noelle was quiet for the rest of the dinner. When it was over, she went back to her room as usual.

***

"Sebastian?"

Noelle looked up from her computer and took her headphones off. "Come in!"

Demetrius entered the door to her basement room and closed it behind him. "I just got off the phone with the clinic. The one we talked about?"

She looked up at him in anticipation as he sat down in a chair next to her desk.

"I made an appointment for Friday. I can drive you."

Noelle took a deep breath. "Okay."

Demetrius gave an apologetic smile. "Okay?"

Noelle nodded. Before either of them knew it, she reached out and hugged him. After his initial surprise, he patted her on the back. "It's going to be okay."

She sat back in her chair, hunching into her original position.

Demetrius waited a few moments before he spoke again. "How are you doing? Does anyone else know?"

Noelle shook her head. "I've thought about telling Abigail and Sam, but I just...don't know if I can do it. I don't know what they would say."

A pained expression passed through Demetrius' face. "I'm so sorry you've been all alone in this."

Noelle shrugged. "I talk to some people on the internet. I read a lot on reddit. Well," she shook her head, "the stuff that isn't bullshit."

Demetrius nodded slowly. "You know, I would never tell you to do something if you thought it wasn't safe, but if your friends are real friends, they'll listen to you and support you."

Noelle rolled her eyes. "Ugh, Dad..."

"Did you just call me 'Dad'?" Demetrius said in excitement.

"No." Noelle blushed slightly, folding her arms. "I meant it as a joke."

Demetrius grinned. "Doesn't matter, you still called me 'Dad!'" He paused. "While we're on the subject, do you always listen to your music that loud? I can hear it from here."

Noelle took off her headphones and dropped them on her keyboard. "Okay, you can get out of my room now."

"Fine," Demetrius said, standing up from his chair. "I'm just worried about your hearing." He turned to leave, but stopped on his way to the stairs. "One more thing," he said. Noelle glanced up at him. His voice lowered again as he stepped towards her. "Do you want me to start using different pronouns for you?"

She frowned. "Well, yeah, eventually. But I don't know if I'm ready for that right now."

"Okay," said Demetrius. He thought for a moment. "Do you have another name picked out?"

Noelle glanced away, lost in thought. She shrugged. "I don't know."

***

It was Thursday evening, and Noelle lay on top of her bed, thinking about the trip tomorrow. She had promised herself she would tell her friends before she left. Then, the days had gone by without her being able to work up the courage to do it. She remembered having to come up with an excuse to tell Abigail as to why she was taking a trip to the city, "with Demetrius of all people." Maybe she didn't need to tell both of them. Maybe she could just tell Sam. He was gay; that was kind of similar to being trans? Well, technically, Noelle was gay, since she still liked girls, but who would understand that.

She sat up. It would be late by the time she reached the farm, but it didn't matter. She was leaving tomorrow, so she resolved that now was the best time to tell him. She put on shoes and a coat, grabbed a flashlight before heading out into the cold.

Noelle felt herself shaking as she walked down the country road. At one point, she considered turning around, but then decided she didn't come out in the cold for nothing. As she pressed onward, she was surprised to see her friend running towards her.

"Seb! What are you doing here?" he said, catching his breath as he reached her. He held onto her arms to steady his balance.

Noelle's eyes were wide open. She said the words like she had rehearsed in her head. "I need to talk to you."

"Now's not the time," said Sam, his eyes darting around the area. "We have to get out of here."

Noelle had no time to figure out what was going on apart from what she needed to tell him. "This is important to me," she said. "Can we just talk for--"

The two of them froze as a chilling cry echoed in the distance. Sam swiped the flashlight out of her hand and shone it down the road in the direction he came.

He gave a sigh in relief. Putting a hand on Noelle's shoulder, he said, "Okay, we can talk later, but we really need to get out of here."

Noelle nodded, feeling slight relief that he agreed to hear her out. They turned to walk back up the road, and that was the last thing she remembered before it happened.

Which is what brought her here, to some bomb shelter, sitting next to a missing girl who had apparently joined some sort of cult.

She clutched her head, which was still throbbing. "What happened?"

Penny smiled in the overzealous way that only an insane person could. "Our Leader saved you! It's a miracle, Brother! When he first brought you here, you were dead, but he healed you, brought you back to life!"

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, healed me? Who are you talking about?"

"I'm sure you will meet him soon," said Penny. "He will be happy to hear of your return. Oh, isn't this a wondrous occasion!"

Noelle looked around the bunker. In one corner, a cabinet of canned and dried goods made food supplies, a very limited number of books were lined on a shelf. "How long have I been here?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Penny admitted. Her face lit up again. "Perhaps when our Leader returns, he will tell us a number of days. But time is a wicked concept from the outside world, there is only so much we can take. You and I are very fortunate in that our Leader has chosen for us to be shielded from the evils above!"

Noelle stared back at her, completely unsure what to make of the situation. "What do you mean--"

The sound of metal creaking in the distance caused Penny to clap her hands together with glee. "Of course! The Leader already knows! He's come to visit us!"

Noelle was silent as the thick metal door leading into the room lurched open. In the entryway, she could see the pale figure of a man, eyes glowing red in the dark. As he stepped into the light, her mouth fell open as she recognized him.

"Hello, Sebastian," said Pierre. "I see you're awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I will be back next Sunday as always with another update. Thanks for leaving comments and kudos, see you next week!
> 
> EDIT: Talked to a friend and made minor update to make the medical description *slightly* more realistic. 
> 
> Disclaimer: This fic is NOT any authority on HRT! Do not make medical decisions based on something you read in a fanfic!


	18. Sister

Noelle blinked. Pierre was standing in the doorway to the bunker, sending her an odd smile that she had never seen before, that made her skin crawl. 

"I see you're awake," he said, gliding confidently towards her. "How are you feeling?"

She didn't answer, just stared at him from the bed. 

His smile stayed on his face in a strange, inhuman composure. He knelt down beside her as if she were a child, and she leaned away from him uncomfortably. "I'm sure you have many questions, so don't be afraid. We have all the time in the world."

Noelle's lip quivered, itching to curse at him. She breathed out in a sense of restraint. "Where are we?"

Pierre gave a graceful, hollow laugh. "The one question I can't answer. You know that would be too easy. Anything else?"

Noelle's brow furrowed in anger. She glanced over at Penny, who was staring at Pierre unquestioningly. Noelle spoke up again. "You attacked me?" 

Another laugh. "You have much to learn. I saved you. Why do you think you're alive, talking to me in this very moment?"

Noelle studied him carefully. "What about Sam?"

"Ah, yes, I was sure you'd ask about your friend." Pierre gave a cold smile. "I assure you he is perfectly healthy, living life as normal. The rest of the town has already been informed of your disappearance. Sebastian, the troubled loner that never leaves his parents' basement. I left them a note. They've already accepted how you're 'done with life in the countryside', that you're 'leaving to start a new life' and 'never want to speak to them again.'"

Noelle smirked, folding her arms. "Like they'd buy that," she said sarcastically, knowing full well that there was a good chance her parents would buy it. She'd always been a recluse, acting as an outsider, and this letter simply played off that. 

"I moved your motorcycle and several belongings from your room, and your parents believe the letter is true. They've already stopped texting you," Pierre responded, and to her surprise, he pulled her phone out of his pocket. He pulled up the text chat. "I've done a good job of playing your part via text, if I do say so myself. Ah," he said, pulling his hand away as Noelle lunged out to grab it. 

"What do you want with me?"

"That's where you're mistaken," said Pierre, rising to tower above her. "You see, I didn't take you, I CHOSE you. I've been watching you for several days, Sebastian. I've seen your cool intellect, always making connections that others miss. That is why I have chosen you to be like me--"

Immediately, Penny jumped up in excitement. "I knew it! Brother, you're going to be like--"

"Silence, girl!" Pierre's voice echoed in the room. 

Penny quickly fell down, cowering on the floor. She avoided his gaze. "Forgive me, Leader."

"You are forgiven this time," he said, a hint of disgust on his face before returning his attention to Noelle. "You were a victim of this cruel world, but I made you a victim no more. When I found you, you were brain-dead, limbs hanging by a thread, barely clinging onto life." 

Noelle looked down at her sweatshirt, which was full of rips and tears. Her pale white skin peeked through underneath, completely untouched. 

Pierre continued. "I was the one who breathed life into you. Look."

Noelle frowned as Pierre took a small mirror from the bookshelf. He held it up to her, and her eyes grew wide at the teeth marks on her neck. 

"Brother, we match!" Penny exclaimed, pulling at the collar of her shirt. She quickly silenced herself at the glance from Pierre. 

"You'll find some welcome changes in your body," Pierre explained. "Right now, you are still weak. I expect you to recover your strength and then some. Actually," he said, ignoring Noelle's skeptical expression and moving towards Penny. "Perhaps you would like to partake in your first ritual."

Penny knelt down, twisting her head to the side knowingly. Pierre made one last grin at Noelle before he sunk his teeth into the other girl's neck. 

***

Noelle ran her hands along the baseboard between the wall and the floor. 

"Brother, I know you want to leave, but this feeling is only temporary. Perhaps you should give it a rest?" Penny spoke softly from where she was reading a book. Some trashy romance novel from over a century ago. 

Wiping some sweat from her face, Noelle stood up. She climbed to the top of Penny's bunk and began searching the ceiling. 

Penny set the book down. "You can look for a way to escape all you want, but our Leader has done well to protect us from the outside world."

Noelle ignored her. 

***

Noelle sat idly, quietly thinking to herself, tossing an orange in her hand. Some time ago, Pierre had left them a bowl of fresh fruit, a "generous gift" as Penny called it. Noelle turned her head as the girl stirred. She had been sleeping for some time. Noelle had also been sleeping, but she seemed to sleep less and less these days. She wondered if there was a reason why Pierre managed to run his store all day in addition to tending a garden to rival the farm's. 

Penny yawned as she stretched her arms. She climbed down from the top bunk of the bed. "Good morning, Brother," she said, sitting next to her at the table. 

"Enjoying the Leader's fruits, I see?"

"Penny," she began. 

"Sister," Penny corrected her, taking a bite from an apple. 

There was a pause in her voice. "Yes. What do you know about the farmer? Weren't you obsessed with him?"

Penny froze, nearly choking on the piece of apple in her mouth. She stood up. "Don't speak of him, the Dark One!" she exclaimed, a great deal of fear in her voice. 

"Why, what's wrong with him?" Noelle said, feeling somewhat defensive. 

Penny calmed down, smoothing her skirt, sitting down again. "Forgive me, I almost lost myself. You're right, I was..." she gave a quirky laugh, "kind of obsessed with him. Kind of."

Noelle contemplated telling her that she had been to her house, seen the room full of pictures Penny had taken of the farmer. Or the evidence that Penny and the farmer were sleeping together. She decided against it. 

Penny moved her feet up underneath her as she sat on the chair. She wasn't wearing shoes. "I had a crush on him." Noelle raised her eyebrows at that. "That's why I came to the Leader. He was going to help him fall in love with me. But it didn't work. But that's when I came into the light, I realized the evils of the outside world! And then I came here! And then you came here," she said, giving Noelle a kind smile. 

"Wait, back up," said Noelle. "How was Pierre going to get Volodya to fall in love with you?"

"Don't say his name!" Penny snapped. 

"Who, Volodya?"

Noelle shielded her ears as Penny screeched in response. This whole co-habitating thing had gotten old, like, the moment Noelle first woke up. 

"Anyway," Penny continued, smoothing out her skirt. "At the time, I was blinded. I thought I loved him. Leader put him in the hospital so I could save him. I thought that when he woke up and saw me, he would realize we were meant to be together." She gave a bitter expression. "Of course he didn't. He's a demon of the outside world, after all."

Noelle looked confused. "What do you mean Pierre...'put him in the hospital'?"

Penny smiled. "That's the greatness of our Leader. He would do anything for me. He saw the Dark One in his true form, fought it, and won. But the Dark One was not killed, only injured, so that I could see to his recovery in the hospital." She grit her teeth. "I see now, perhaps he should have killed him."

Noelle frowned. Pierre was the one who attacked Volodya, not the monster? She remembered seeing the farmer in all his bandages, the multiple wounds. She shuddered to think of what Pierre was capable of. 

Penny continued to ramble. "The Dark One is everything wrong with the outside world summed up. If only you saw him as I did. His other form..." She glanced up at Noelle in realization. "But you saw him, too! Was it not him who attacked you, before our Leader found you?"

Noelle's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" 

Penny was already not listening, very intently biting her apple to make the marks even all the way around. 

Noelle tried to remember back to the night of the attack. Slowly, the memories started to leak in: the feeling of claws sinking into her flesh, the howl in the distance moments before. And that picture, the one that they found on Penny's camera before she disappeared. 

"The farmer...the farmer is the monster?"

"He's a monster," Penny said in disgust. 

Noelle was silent. She thought back to all the times she had known Volodya. He always seemed...nice? Maybe a bit strange, but nothing more than her and the rest of her friends. She remembered seeing him at the fair, going over to his house. He took them into the mines. The mines--she remembered back to that night so many months ago, when she first saw the monster. Thinking it had come from the mines. Volodya had been working in the mines. All this time it had been him.

She thought about the other instances where the monster had attacked. The chickens, which had disappeared from the farm. The cave that they found near the farm. And she had been headed toward the farm the night she was attacked. She almost felt dumb, how obvious it was. And that time Sam had found Volodya in the woods?

"Pen--Sister," Noelle began, correcting herself.

Penny looked up from her perfectly shaved apple core. "Yes, Brother?" 

"You and the farmer didn't ever...hook up in the woods?" With each word that Noelle spoke, it seemed less and less likely.

Penny blinked in confusion. "Why would I do that?" She suddenly became angry. "What are you suggesting?"

"Nothing," Noelle assured her. She, herself was less at ease. Penny had nothing to do with it. Volodya was the monster, and Sam, what did Sam know? The way he was acting after he found Volodya in the woods, he couldn't have known anything. But that night, the last night before she ended up in this damn place, Sam was trying to tell her something. "We need to get out of here," he kept saying. Now she understood. He was trying to warn her.

***

Noelle sat up in bed at the familiar sound of the basement door opening. Pierre came in, holding a box of supplies, which he unceremoniously set on the table. 

Penny flew down the ladder from the top bunk. "Leader! What have you been so kind as to bring us this time?"

Pierre ignored her, pulling out a thermos and handing it to Noelle, who took it reluctantly. "Since you won't drink from your Sister, I've found a way for you to recover your strength that perhaps you would find more...palatable."

Noelle grimaced before she even opened it, a thermos filled with blood. 

"It's cow's blood," Pierre explained, already standing up to leave. "I expect you to finish this by the time I return." 

"Leader, is it time for the ritual again?" Penny's voice rang hopefully.

"I must go," Pierre said curtly. "I'll return for you, my sweet."

He quickly exited through the metal door. 

"Did you hear that?!" Penny gushed to Noelle. "He called me 'my sweet'!" 

Noelle rolled her eyes. "You're so lucky," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she re-capped the thermos and set it down on the floor. 

"I really am," Penny beamed.

Noelle stood up and set a hand on the door. "Who built this?" she quietly wondered aloud. Tracing her hands along the seam of the door, she tried to pry it open with her fingernails, utterly surprised as it swung open at the lightest touch. "Has this been unlocked the whole time?!"

Penny didn't look up as she looked through the contents of the box. "I am not foolish like you, Brother. I do not wish to leave." She pulled out a jigsaw puzzle.

Noelle stepped into the antechamber, mouth hanging open as she looked at the metal-reinforced walls. She may as well stepped into a closet, as there was no entrance or exit other than the one leading into the shelter. "What the fuck?!"

She returned to her bunk bed and laid down, her mind restless. "How does he even get in?"

"The Leader is magic," Penny explained, putting together the edge pieces for the puzzle, which depicted a couple of kittens tangled in yarn. 

***

Noelle set down her volume of 19th century farm techniques. Penny was asleep, as usual; Noelle had little time for that these days. She picked up the tin mug that sat on the table beside her and swirled its contents. The blood looked less and less appetizing the more she looked at it. She had managed to drink a small amount, but the texture displeased her. She sat back and folded her arms, imagining her freedom, if she were to escape to the outside world. 

She used to like going to the beach on rainy days. Imagining an overcast sky, she thought about making her way up to the boardwalk, watching the waves move in and out. A strong wind came and pulled at her hair, her clothing. She listened to the swelling of the ocean, a soothing melody of static. It felt so real, and she suddenly became frightened at her power of imagining things. She turned to walk back up the dock, but her foot hit a slippery patch, and she fell, the wooden planks nearly hitting her face. Slowly sitting up, and she looked out over the shore, which was covered in snow. Holy fuck, she thought. This is real. 

She quickly paced towards a snow bank and grabbed a handful. It seemed strange that it didn't melt in her hands, so she set it back down. As she walked along the beach, her converse left footprints in the sand. She saw a nautilus shell and picked it up, examining it. Demetrius. Fuck, what did he think happened to her? They were supposed to go into the city, and instead, she disappeared. Did he just believe whatever it was that Pierre told him? 

She hastened towards town, pausing as she felt an odd burning sensation on the back of her neck. Looking up to the sky, she winced at the sight of the sun peeking out from the clouds. Shelter, she needed shelter. Looking around, she spotted Elliott's cabin. Perhaps he was gone during the day? She didn't care, instead quickly opened the door and made her way inside, shutting it behind her in relief. 

"Sebastian?"

Fuck.

From behind his writing desk, the writer rose to his full height of six feet and more. His long amber hair rested gently on the shoulders of his turtleneck. He stepped towards Noelle, towering over her as she slid down to the floor. 

"Are you alright?"

Noelle didn't answer. Elliott knelt down beside her, looking concerned. 

"You look rather pale. Perhaps I should escort you to the clinic--"

"No!" Noelle cried out. Realizing how taken aback he was, she added, "I can't go outside."

Elliott looked surprised. "Okay. Then can I offer you some tea?"

Noelle's eyes darted around the room, finally resting on Elliott. She nodded. 

A few minutes later, they were sitting at the breakfast nook in Elliott's tiny kitchen, two mugs of hot tea sitting before them. Noelle took a sip of hers. 

A timer went off on the stove. "Just a minute," Elliott said, standing up. 

While he wasn't looking, Noelle let the water fall out of her mouth back into the mug. The tea tasted awful, even if she was sure it was just standard green tea. 

"I was making some banana bread," Elliott explained, pulling the loaf out of the oven. "I'd be glad to offer you some as soon as it cools, although my baking skills could use some work, if I'm being honest."

Noelle cleared her throat. "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."

"Fair enough." Elliott sat down across from her and sipped his tea. "Mmm," he said pointedly, setting his mug down. "What happened to your clothes?"

"I'm trans," said Noelle, completely disregarding whatever he was saying. She rested her face in her hands, feeling a tear in her eye. 

"What do you mean?" Elliott inquired. 

"I'm transgender. I'm a--" she wiped her eye in between words, "girl."

Elliott's eyes widened. As far as Noelle could tell, he had a hint of color on his cheeks. 

Feeling calm, her hands fell to her side and she sat up straight. "Why, do you have something to say?"

Elliott grinned, pushing a strand of hair behind his ears. He rested his elbows on the table in front of him. "Before I moved here a few years ago, I went by the pronouns they/them."

For once, Noelle found herself beginning to smile.

***

"Sam! Breakfast is ready!"

Sam rubbed his face as he rolled over in bed, the sound of his mother's footsteps leaving his bedroom door. He pulled out his phone and checked the calendar notification. "Seb's Bday." 

Later, as he sat at the table with his mom and Vincent, he quietly ate his eggs and toast.

"Sam, what's wrong?" said Jodi. "You haven't said a word."

Sam looked up as Vincent galloped around the table and into the living room. He was restless while the search for a substitute teacher continued. Sam shook his head. "It's just one of those days."

Jody frowned. "Well, you'll perk up. You've got a big fat day off, and I don't want anyone thinking I raised you to feel sorry for yourself."

Sam nodded. He quickly finished the rest of his breakfast and set the dishes in the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, mom," he said on his way out of the room.

"Much better!" she called to him down the hallway. "Hi, sweetie," she greeted Vincent as he passed his brother and skipped around the kitchen. 

Sam spent the rest of the morning lying on the floor of his room, idly playing guitar. His phone buzzed, and he could see it was Abigail, asking to hang out. It had came as a shock--to some more than others--when the town found out about Sebastian's exit note. Abigail wrote their friend off as selfish and self-absorbed. Maybe she was hurt about it, but quickly got over it, acting as though everything was back to normal, if not leaving an underhanded comment here and there. Only Sam knew the truth about Sebastian, only him and--

Fuck it, he got his jacket and his shoes, Sam was heading out the front door. The sky was overcast and the air was warm enough for a winter day. He passed by Marnie's ranch, and as he neared the road leading to the south end of the farm, he felt his heart lurch. 

His pace slowed, and he continued north more hesitantly. He had been avoiding Sebastian's family as much as possible, apart from a strange interaction he had with Demetrius at the Ice Festival. 

"Did Sebastian ever talk to you before he left?"

Sam didn't want to think about it, just gave a quick "no" followed by some excuse that he had to go talk to someone else. 

It hurt that Sebastian had come to tell him that he was leaving. It felt like a wall went up between them when he started dating Volodya, but after everything, it seemed he was the only person Sebastian wanted to confide in. There must have been more he could have done, something he could have done to save his friend, if it could have been him instead. But Sebastian was gone, and Sam was here, standing on his ex's porch. 

He closed his eyes, working himself up enough to knock several times, but after a few minutes without answer, it was clear the farmer was not home. Sam looked around the vacant farm; the day was exceptionally quiet. Without thinking, he let himself in.

Strawberry greeted him, rubbing against his calves and purring. He knelt down to pet her, feeling comfort in her presence. 

"Such a good girl," he said, picking her up. "I missed you."

He sat down on the couch. The house felt cold, and was dark with the lights off. Some light filtered in from the front windows onto Sebastian's keyboard, pushed against the wall, just waiting to be set up again for another band practice. They even had a gig lined up later in the season, and although Abigail suggested they could play without him, she was beginning to lose interest after Sam was completely silent on the issue.

He had to leave. It was weird, knowing his ex could come back at any time and see him just sitting there--trespassing, basically. 

"Sorry, 'Berry," he whispered, scratching behind her ears before returning to the cold outdoors. 

Slowly, he made his way back through the fields again, barely focusing on where he was going. As he passed by the old tool shed, he was surprised to see someone else on the farm. 

He frowned. "Pierre?"

The middle-aged man whipped his head around, stopping in his tracks as he headed towards the forest. He quickly adopted a friendly smile. 

"Hi, Sam. I was just out for a walk in the woods, but I seem to have ended up on your property."

Sam's face was expressionless. With the weight he felt inside, he was unable to mirror Pierre's neighborly cheer. "It's not my property."

"Oh," Pierre said with a nervous laugh. "Then I won't tell on you, either."

Sam just stood there quietly, staring back at him in a sort of dissociative state.

"I'll just be going, then," said Pierre, giving a wave. 

He started making his way towards the road, and Sam didn't look up to watch him go.

***

"My dad's been acting weird," said Abigail said over the dull roar of conversation in the saloon, a typical Friday night. She and Sam were sitting on the couch by the pool tables, although no one was playing pool. 

Sam was delayed in his response, unable to focus lately. "What?"

"I said my dad's been acting weird," she repeated. "I accidentally told him about sneaking into Penny's room, and he freaked out. Said that's breaking and entering, and I could get in serious legal trouble. Who knows what he'd say if we told him about the shoes in the woods."

"So much for trespassing," said Sam. "I ran into him on the farm the other day. He said he was out for a walk."

"That's weird," said Abigail. "Besides the garden, he doesn't go outside much. Well," she nodded over to where Pierre was in the far end of the saloon, talking with Mayor Lewis. 

"Yeah," Sam said flatly. His gaze wandered over to where Robin and Demetrius were slow dancing together in the corner. "Hey, do you want to get out of here? I kind of don't want to be here right now."

Abigail frowned, but nodded. "Okay. Sebastian," she said, turning to the empty space next to her. "Do you want to head out?"

She laughed at her own joke, and Sam quickly finished the rest of his beer.

When they walked into Sam's house, his mom came in from the kitchen. 

"Hi Abigail! Nice to see you," she said warmly. 

"Hi," Abigail waved briefly, before returning to her conversation with Sam. "So why were you over there anyway, I thought you broke up? Unless, you went there to--"

"No, and he wasn't there," Sam interrupted her before they were out of earshot of his mom. 

"I get it; one of your best friends just left without saying anything, and you're feeling lonely--"

She was cut off as Sam nearly slammed the door behind them. From the safety of his room, he turned to her, shaking slightly. "Abi, I have to tell you something."

"What, are you--"

Sam cut off her constant quips. "He's dead, Abi."

She frowned. "Who's dead?"

"Sebastian. He came to tell me he was leaving, and...the monster came...killed him right in front of me. Everyone thinks he left town, but he's really dead." 

"Hey, calm down," said Abigail, her voice softer as she put a hand on his shoulder. They sat down on Sam's bed. "You saw the monster? Where?"

"Behind the farm. Sebastian was coming to tell me, and I ran into him." His breathing was hard, uneven. 

Abigail's brow furrowed. "And this was the night he left?"

Sam nodded. 

"But...he can't be dead," Abigail said, pulling out her phone. "He's been texting me."

Sam took the device and read the most recent messages. A few days ago, Abigail texted Sebastian, "I hope you're having a nice time, wherever you are." A day later, he responded, "Yep."

"That's...strange," he managed, handing the phone back to Abigail. "I was so sure he was dead. He looked dead. Although..." His face turned pale. "His body was missing when we, when we went to find it later."

"See?" Abigail said with a tiny, apologetic smile. "He's okay after all."

"Maybe." Sam's posture was stiff as he stared off into space. "I was just so sure."

Abigail gave him a hug. "It'll be okay."

Sam didn't answer.

***

It was snowing outside, and Abigail boredly sat at her computer. Having spent enough time on the online forum for Journey of the Prairie King, she pushed her chair away, deciding to get a snack from the kitchen. 

She held her phone in her hands as she walked, and pausing on the way, pulled up the text chat with Sebastian. She would give him another prod. "Sure u can't tell me??"

She slipped her phone in her pocket, but something sounded in the back of her mind, like she heard the text buzz as it sent. Backtracking her steps slightly, she saw the door to her parents' room was ajar. Taking her phone again, she sent another text, just "hey." Again, the buzzing sound. Slowly looking around the living room, she could tell that her mom had gone out, and her dad was still in the shop. Quietly, she pushed open the door and slipped inside. The room was immaculate, the bed made as usual. On her phone, she called Sebastian's number. The sound of the vibration was louder, and she curiously stepped towards the nightstand by the far end of the bed. As she slid open the drawer, Sebastian's phone continued to ring from inside. She picked it up, silencing the call. 

"Abigail?"

She nearly jumped, seeing Pierre standing in the doorway. "Dad!" Suddenly feeling anger rise up inside of her, she added. "You have Sebastian's phone?! Does that mean--"

"What are you doing, going through my room--"

"He's really dead," Abigail talked over him. "Did you.." She gasped. "You're the monster! You killed him!"

She was shocked by the silence of her father. 

"Yoba," she covered her mouth. "All this time--"

"I'm not the monster," Pierre finally said, a disarming smile covering his face. "I'm trying to help catch the monster. I found Sebastian's phone, and I was hoping to wait for more evidence until I brought it to authorities--"

"Bullshit!" Abigail spat at him. "It's you! You were...you were on the farm trying to plant evidence to blame Volodya, and Penny...you killed her, too!" Her eyes were wide with rage. 

Pierre laughed, this time his friendly mirth replaced with something sinister. "My dear daughter, you know too much."

"What--" 

Before she could so much as blink, he made one fluid motion with his arm and the door shut behind him, without him even touching it. He held his other hand out, and she felt herself instantly pulled towards him. The next thing she knew, she was being pushed against a cold, metal floor. 

"Hey!" 

Her eyes barely open, she tried to make out the dark shapes in the poorly lit room. From behind her, she heard a familiar voice, and her blood ran cold. 

"Sister!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated a lil early this week, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, thanks for kudos, and let me know what you think in the comments!! See you next week with another update...


	19. Come Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a thematically heavy chapter, so please observe the content warnings:
> 
> CW: suicidal ideation  
> CW: abuse  
> There is also a lot more trans content and will be from here on out. Cheers TDOV

Sam felt numb to the monotony of re-stocking shelves as he worked the 7th hour of his shift at Joja Mart. He almost didn't notice when a tall, elegant person with their red hair pulled back into a ponytail passed by him.

He looked up. Elliott? What was he doing here? Sam had worked at Joja Mart a long time , and had never seen him stop in, pretty sure he had once heard him talking about his distaste for corporate business.

"Psst, Sam!"

Sam jumped, spying Elliott peeking through at him between the cans on the other side of the shelf, in the next aisle over.

"What are you doing?" Sam whispered back.

"I have some information about your friend." Elliott's face was serious, his eyes wide.

Sam frowned. "Who?"

Elliott glanced away so as to remain inconspicuous. "You know who."

Sam blinked, unable to acknowledge the strangeness of the situation. "So what, then?"

"Not here." Elliott leaned away from the shelf, craning his neck to make sure they weren't being watched. "Meet me at my cabin."

Sam was still for an awkward moment. "Now?"

"When you're free." Elliott looked thoughtful. "When do you think that would be?"

"I don't know, tomorrow?" Sam said with a loose shrug. "Afternoon?"

Elliott nodded. "Come over then. It's important."

With that, he left, and Sam stood by, his expression blank.

***

It was a bright, sunny day when Sam walked out to the beach to visit Elliott. He shielded his eyes as he approached the cabin, which was quite humble and plain in appearance. The curtains were drawn. Inside, he could hear voices talking. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

***

"Noelle, would you mind getting the pot on the stove? I'm afraid I have my hands full."

Noelle nodded, going over to the kitchen to pull off the kettle as it whistled. Elliott set down the stack of books they were carrying and dusted off their hands. "There we go, I believe my humble abode is finally presentable enough to have company over."

"And I believe you called it a shack earlier," said Noelle with a laugh, returning from the small kitchen. She looked around the room. "It looks good. At least, if he's seen my old room, then he's not going to be upset by this."

"Really? Okay, good," said Elliott. They put a hand on Noelle's shoulder. "How are you feeling? Are you nervous?"

"A little." She smiled. "Imagine if we had gone with the idea where I just showed up at his house late at night. Like, he just looked out the window and saw my pale-ass face just staring at him. He would have thought I was a ghost, for sure."

Elliott bellowed with laughter. "That would have been too perfect."

"Do you think--"

Noelle paused as they heard a knock at the door. Elliott raised their eyebrows with a smile, holding up their fingers, crossed for good luck. Noelle nodded back, and Elliott went to answer the door.

"Hey," said Sam as soon as they opened the door.

"Come in," said Elliott, gesturing politely.

Sam nodded once and stepped inside as Elliot closed the door behind him. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me about--"

He stopped as he made eye contact with Noelle, who was standing awkwardly in the middle off the room. She was wearing an over-sized cream-colored sweater, one of Elliott's, and a long pleated skirt, one of Elliott's. Colorfully striped socks covered her feet.

She managed a wave. "Hi, Sam."

For a moment, a cloud of worries passed over her, seeing her friend's uncharacteristically silent expression. She was beginning to regret the meeting, but then he walked right up to her and gave her a hug.

"I'll let you two catch up," said Elliot, and they headed out the front door.

Sam didn't glance back at them, his attention still focused on Noelle.

"Do you want to sit down?" asked Noelle. "I think Elliott made some tea."

"Okay."

They moved to the kitchen, where Noelle poured him a cup. She handed it to him.

"Thanks," Sam said. He sat down. "I've never seen you wearing anything other than black."

Noelle laughed as she sat down across from him. "I know, right?"

There was an awkward silence between them as Sam sipped his tea. He set his cup down. "Abigail told me you were still alive. She showed me you were still responding to her texts."

"Oh," said Noelle with some amusement. "That wasn't me. Pierre took my phone." When she sensed Sam's complete confusion, she sighed. "I guess I should explain what happened. Pierre's a vampire. After the farmer attacked me, he found me and turned me into a vampire, essentially bringing me back to life. Then he kept me in a bunker somewhere for...days? I don't know how long. Penny's there too, although she's normal. But not normal, I just mean she's not a vampire. Sorry, are you following all of this?"

Sam had lost eye contact about halfway through the conversation. "Oh," he said, finally responding to Noelle. "The farmer attacked you?"

"You were there?" said Noelle, lifting an eyebrow, forever sarcastic. "Or unless, don't tell me you don't know."

"Know what? I just saw a giant wolf-thing attack you, and--" Sam stopped himself, realizing there was no point in playing dumb with her. "Okay, so I knew that was him. But it's not his fault, he can't control it!"

"I never said it was his fault," Noelle said calmly. "Besides, what do you care? I heard that you broke up."

Sam buried his head in his hands. "What was I supposed to do, keep living with someone who murdered my best friend?! I don't know why I cared about you either, you were just going to leave town!"

"I wasn't going to leave town," Noelle explained. "Pierre made that note up so no one would question my absence."

"Then what were you doing when you came to tell me you were leaving that night?!"

"I wasn't coming to tell you that, I was coming to tell you that I'm trans!"

There was a silence between them. Sam sat back in his chair, his eyes wandering in thought before they landed on her again. "You're trans? Since when?"

Noelle made a face. "Since forever?" Seeing that didn't answer his question, she clarified, "I was supposed to go to the city with Demetrius for an appointment to start hormone therapy. Well, I was already on hormones, but to get something like, doctor approved. And Demetrius is another story, I kind of accidentally came out to him, and surprisingly, he's been very supportive."

"Wow," said Sam, nodding slowly. "You're really serious about this. You've got a name picked out and everything?"

"My name's Noelle," said Noelle.

"Noelle," Sam repeated. "How'd you choose that?"

She shrugged. "What does it matter? It's my name."

"Oh--sorry," said Sam, the tone of his voice changing. "I didn't mean to--I know I shouldn't assume things about your experience. Noelle," he began, laying the palms of his hands on the table before digressing from what he was saying, remarking, "That's a really pretty name."

"Thank you."

Sam flashed a smile, and his eyelids fluttered. "I'm just...I can't believe I'm the first person you wanted to tell. I know it must have been hard, well as hard as I can imagine, for you to share something so personal as that. Thank you."

Noelle's mouth hung open, having lost what she originally meant to say. Out of all the ways she had imagined he could have reacted, this was completely unexpected.

"What are your pronouns?" Sam asked respectfully.

"She," Noelle said hesitantly. "So...you don't hate me?"

"Hate you?" Sam looked concerned. "No, I thought you hated me, ever since I came out in a gay relationship!"

Noelle was silent for a moment. She glanced down at the table. "I'm sorry...I was jealous. I saw how happy you were being able to be yourself, and I was scared. I didn't think I could have that."

Sam reached out and took her hand from the other side of the table. He shuddered at the cold touch.

"Vampire hands," she explained.

"Right," he said. "I'm sorry you felt that way. I'm scared of coming out to everyone, too."

Noelle nodded. A wave of relief came over her, and she breathed a few laughs. "I bet Elliott's still waiting outside. They were going to come in and shoo you out if you asked too many intrusive questions, like about 'the surgery' or something."

Sam laughed. "You can come in, Elliott!" he called to the front door.

It only took a few seconds for the writer to reappear. "Oh good, everything seems to be okay," they said with relief. They approached Sam, towering over him with their tall stature, and held out their hand. "Elliott, nice to meet you again. They/them."

Sam shook their hand, his face still making the connection. "They, them?"

"I identify as non-binary," Elliot explained.

"Oh!" Sam said in realization. He nodded. "Okay!"

Noelle smiled at seeing the interaction. Her brow furrowed. "Hey, Sam?"

"Yeah?" He watched her while sipping his tea.

"You seem to know a lot about trans people, considering we're the first people to come out to you."

Sam's eyes widened, and he quickly set his mug down. "Yeah, I guess." As he looked from one to the other, he abruptly stood up. "It's getting late; I should go."

Noelle watched him head towards the door. The syringes she saw briefly in the kitchen drawer. The photos that Sam was so quick to cover up.

"Volodya."

Sam stopped dead in his tracks. Noelle stood up, striding up to her friend, and he turned around slowly, their eyes meeting once again.

***

Sam dialed the number, Noelle and Elliott sitting next to him at the table, waiting in anticipation. The phone rang several times and finally went to voicemail. Sam looked at them and shrugged.

"Hey, it's--" he lowered his voice as he spoke. "It's me. I really...need to talk to you, so give me a call back. Bye."

After he hung up, he set the phone on the table.

Noelle folded her arms in disappointment.

"Has it been long since you last talked to him?" asked Elliot.

"Weeks," said Sam. "Actually, I--"

He was interrupted by the phone as it buzzed on the table, a very cheesy close up picture of Volodya's face displaying on the screen. Sam grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey," he heard his voice. It sounded like he was short of breath. "What's up?"

"Are you busy right now?" said Sam.

"No." Sam could hear the wind blowing in the background.

"Can you come to the beach?" Sam asked. "I'm at Elliott's cabin."

There was another pause. "Okay."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay?"

"Yeah, see you in a few."

Volodya put down the phone, staring down the cliff side. The sky was darkening, and the wind howled loudly.

It was dark by the time he arrived, at the cabin on the beach. The building was like a lantern against the dark coast. the three of them sitting around the table, chatting under the warm glow of artificial light. He knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Sam answered it.

"You made it," said Sam. "Come sit down."

Volodya followed him to the table and Sam pulled up another chair for him to sit down at the small table. He took a seat in between Sam and Elliott.

"Hi," Noelle waved to him. He glanced up. She stood up and held out her hand. "I'm Noelle."

Volodya shook her hand across the table. "Hi."

"I'm trans," she continued, almost cheerfully. "I know you are, too."

Volodya nodded. He pursed his lips, and then cleared his throat to make a statement. "I'm sorry I killed you. You didn't deserve to die."

Everyone else laughed.

"It's okay," said Sam, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We know it's not your fault."

Volodya nodded sullenly. He glanced up at Elliott. "Why are you here?"

"Well," they said, "I'm sure you are aware this is my place of residence."

"Oh," Volodya said flatly.

Elliott gave a warm smile. "I'm trans, too."

Volodya glanced down at the table. "Of course." He frowned. "Where's Penny?"

Noelle spoke up. "She's being kept in a bunker somewhere." She made a strange face, trying to figure out how to broach the subject. "Pierre is a vampire and kidnapped her. He found me, and turned me into a vampire, but I escaped, which is why I'm here talking to you."

Volodya furrowed his brow. "Escaped? From what?"

"The bunker." Noelle cleared her throat. "After you nearly killed me--again, thanks for that--Pierre came by and turned me into a vampire so I wouldn't die. He teleported me--we THINK--to a remote location where he was keeping Penny also. But I managed to teleport out, and I ended up on the beach, and that's how I ran into Elliott."

"Okay." Volodya was entirely calm, almost unresponsive. Asking no one in particular, he voiced, "Where are the rest of them? The other people I killed?"

Noelle frowned. "What 'other people'?"

Sam grimaced. "The other people he killed. He told me there were more back when he lived in the city. I didn't believe him, either, but he showed me the news reports."

Elliott and Noelle looked horrified.

"Does anyone else know about this?" Elliott asked.

"I don't think so," Sam replied. "He was trying hard to keep it a secret. That's why he moved out here, so less people would get hurt."

"It's okay, I won't be hurting anyone anymore," said Volodya, "now that I'm dead."

Noelle laughed at that. Elliott folded their arms, looking perplexed, but Sam was the most concerned.

"Vlo, what do you mean, you're dead?"

"This is the afterlife, isn't it?" The farmer looked around the table, his calm expression in contrast to the bewilderment of his companions. "That's why Noelle is here. And you, Sam, you must be a construct of my memory in the form of wish fulfillment. I jumped from the cliffs, and while my body fell to the bottom, my soul stayed at the top, and you called to me, you told me to come to the beach. Now I'm here."

"That's incredible," remarked Elliott.

"This isn't the afterlife," Sam told him in a serious tone. "You're still alive. We all are," he said, gesturing around the table. "Noelle told you the truth."

"Oh," said Volodya, sounding disappointed. "So...you're all alive?"

"Yeah," Sam answered. Noelle and Elliott nodded.

"Well, I can't be alive," Volodya argued. "I jumped off a cliff."

"What, do you want us to go find the body for evidence?" Noelle retorted.

"That's right," said Elliott. "What if he's telling the truth? That would be the way to prove it."

"Really?" Noelle disagreed.

Elliott cast her a glance. "Might I remind you that stranger things have happened."

She frowned. "Point taken."

Sam exhaled. He stood up to put on his coat. "Okay, if this is what we need to do."

The four of them took to the beach with a couple of flashlights. Volodya stayed close to Sam as they all made their way towards the base of the cliffs.

"Where is it?" Elliott asked, shining a light across the rocky shore.

"Just over there," said Volodya, pointing nonchalantly. "Somewhere."

"I can't believe you actually wanted to go through with this," said Sam, using his flashlight to make sure he wouldn't trip over some rocks. "What about your animals, you were just going to leave them?"

Volodya shrugged. "I went to Marnie's and left a note."

Sam's eyes widened. "And what about Strawberry?"

"I left a note," Volodya repeated.

Sam nodded. He took a few more steps and stopped again. "And what about me?!"

Volodya stared back at him with the same emotionless expression. "I left--"

"Don't tell me you left me a suicide note," Sam said, his voice raised in disbelief. Volodya didn't answer, and Sam waited a few seconds before throwing his arms around him in a tight hug. Volodya let it happen, neither reciprocating nor pushing him away. When Sam did pull away, a tight grip on Volodya's arm, he frowned.

"Have you been drinking?"

"No," Volodya protested. He rolled his eyes. "Okay, a couple beers. What, you think I'm just going to be sober for my own death?"

Sam said nothing, just stared back in a wholly concerned expression. In the background, waves continued to crash against the shore.

"Okay, I don't see a body anywhere," said Noelle.

"Really? You looked everywhere?" Sam asked, letting go of Volodya. "Maybe we missed something in the dark."

Elliott stepped up on a boulder, making them even taller. "Noelle has excellent night vision," they explained. "Vampirism has its perks."

Volodya gasped and looked down at the ground. "So it's just like when Noelle died."

"Because I didn't die!" said Noelle, gesturing in protest. "And neither did you."

Volodya's voice was quiet when he spoke again. "I guess so."

Elliott stepped down, clutching at their coat in the cold. "I think it's time for our return."

When they all were back in the coziness of the cabin, Sam realized he hadn't eaten all day, so Elliott made some of what they happened to have available, which was ramen. They didn't have a couch, so they all sat on Elliott's bed, discussing the situation. When Sam mentioned it being drafty in the cabin, Volodya sleepily remarked, "I'll be your blanket," and lied across his lap. After that, the farmer was fast asleep, Sam absent-mindedly stroking his arm.

"The last thing I remember is Volodya grabbing me," Noelle recalled. "What happened after that?"

Sam blinked, inhaling deeply. "I couldn't see a whole lot in the dark. I saw him standing over your body." He shook his head. "It was terrifying."

"And then he left?" Elliott inquired. "He didn't hurt you at all?"

"No, he picked me up and carried me to that cave," Sam pointed at Noelle, "the one we found earlier? I woke up there and he was back to normal, cold and shivering. We went back to where your body had been, and it was gone."

"You know," Noelle wondered aloud, "Pierre always said that he 'chose me' to become a vampire, and I didn't believe any of it. I don't think he planned it at all. I think he knew Volodya had turned and he just showed up to see what would happen."

"If both you and Sam were there," Elliott contended, "how do we know that Sam wasn't the target?"

Sam raised his eyebrows at that. "Really? I guess it could have made sense for him to follow me. But if he watched the attack, why didn't he intervene?"

"Because I was attacked instead," Noelle answered. "And if that's the case, then you owe it to Volodya for taking you away."

"He saved me?" Sam glanced down at the man sprawled on his stomach over Sam's lap.

"Maybe Pierre wanted you, maybe he wanted Noelle," Elliott reasoned. "Either way, Volodya sensed he was there and removed you from the dangerous situation."  
Sam nodded. He felt Volodya's chest press against his leg as he breathed in and out.

***

"Okay, you think you can make it home from here?"

Volodya set his head on Sam's shoulder, giving his response. It was 3 a.m., and they were standing outside Sam's house.

Sam sighed. "Okay, I guess you can stay over."

He led the farmer inside, quietly stepping past his brother's room. Once they were in his room, Sam pulled back the covers of his bed. "I can take the floor, it's fine."

Volodya nodded, stripping down to his T-shirt and shorts, leaving his outerwear scattered along the carpet. Sam tucked him into bed, a strange feeling.

"I want to see your face when you read the note I wrote you," Volodya mumbled, his eyes closed.

"The notes!" Sam said suddenly, covering his mouth in realization. "That's right, where is it? And you left one for Marnie, too? We need to get them before she finds it in the morning."

"Check the mailbox."

Sam put his coat back on and hurried out to the ranch. He found the letter addressed to Marnie and gave a sigh of relief before returning to the house. He almost passed by the mailbox to his house when he remembered.

He took a look around, as though there would be anyone to see. There it was, a letter in Volodya's handwriting, addressed to him. He went inside the house and found his way to the living room couch. He didn't want to read it, but his curiosity was too great.

"Sam,

You took my heart when you left, and I understand why. The way I acted was truly heartless. Someone dear to you is dead because of me, and I couldn't even acknowledge it. You needed someone to grieve with you, and I wasn't there. I feel so numb to it all, the many times it happened before. You thought it was it horrible, and I agree with you. I hope you can find peace in knowing it's never going to happen again because if you are reading this, it means I'm dead. I'm finally going through with something I should have done a long time ago, and maybe then, a lot more pain could have been avoided. You were the ray of sunshine in my dark life; you deserve so much more happiness.

I will always love you,  
Volodya"

Sam wiped the tears from his eyes and returned to his room, where Volodya was sound asleep in his bed. He threw on some pajamas and climbed in next to him, quickly falling asleep.

***

Sam's eyes fluttered open in the morning light. He felt a strong pair of arms around him as he lie in his childhood room. As he stirred, he felt the man beside him roll onto his back. Rolling over to face him, Sam studied him for a few seconds before he found the voice to speak.

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

The man frowned, his eyes still closed. "Yes, unfortunately."

"You almost died."

"You saved my life."

"What do you mean?"

"If you hadn't called me then. I would have done it."

Sam exhaled. "You saved my life, too. When you took me to the cave."

Volodya didn't move. With his eyes still closed, he murmured, "I guess we're even, then."

Sam brought a hand to Volodya's cheek, and his eyes drifted open, landing on Sam. He leaned up, and their lips met, briefly the first time before resuming their familiar affections. Sam pulled him closer, and Volodya placed a hand on Sam's chest, moving downwards before it stopped on his stomach. Sam nodded, taking Volodya's hand and moving it further. 

"Sam! Breakfast is ready!"

They both froze, eyes locking for a brief moment before Volodya stopped and rolled onto his back again, staring up at the ceiling. The knocking on the door ceased.

Sam got out of bed and stood up, grabbing a pair of jeans. "I'm going to go see if I can talk to her. You can just hide under the covers if--"

Suddenly, the door opened. "Sam, honey, is someone else in there?"

Jodi walked in and froze. She took one look at Volodya reclining on the bed, one look look at her son, and screamed.

"How DARE you bring a boy to this house!" She ran to him and began throwing her arms at his back.

"Ow, mom, what the fuck?" he said, raising his arms to shield her blows. "You can't just walk in on us!"

"This is MY house, and you will follow MY rules," she cried.

Volodya stood up and pulled her away. Sam pulled on his jeans, and quickly grabbed his other belongings. "We need to get out of here," he told Volodya.

"The hell you will! Let go of me," she spat at Volodya.

Sam left the room to knock on his brother's door. "Vincent!"

The boy opened his bedroom door, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Vince, I need you to pack some clothes. We're going to leave."

"Why?" he said with a yawn. "Is mom mad at me?"

"No, she's not mad at you," Sam assured him. "It's not safe to be here. We're going to go stay somewhere else for few days."

Vincent nodded, although he looked scared. Sam helped him to put some clothes in a backpack and get his coat on. He pulled on his favorite knit cap, and Sam led him to the front door. "I need you to go outside and wait for me, okay?"

His brother nodded. Sam watched him leave, then returned to his bedroom, where Jodi finally broke away from Volodya. "Is this how your treat your mother?" she yelled. "I made you breakfast!"

Volodya waited for Sam to ask for help, but Sam gestured for him to go. Jodi threw her fists at her son one more time, and he grabbed her shoulders and threw her on the floor.

"You ungrateful child!"

"I'm not a kid anymore, mom," he said, his voice shaking. Volodya appeared beside him, fully dressed and ready to go.

"Let's get out of here," he said, putting a hand on Sam's shoulder, and with that, they left her there, cowering on the floor of her son's room.

Outside, waiting with Vincent was Emily, wearing a coat over her pajamas.

"What's going on?" she asked. "I heard yelling, and so I came and found your brother out here."

Sam looked apologetic. "My mom's just...having a moment."

"You can stay with me on the farm if you need to," Volodya told Sam. "Vincent, too."

"Really?" Sam said, surprised.

When Volodya nodded, Sam threw his arms around him in a big hug. Volodya patted his back reassuringly.

"What's going on?" asked Vincent, pulling at the strings of his cap.

"We're going to stay on the farm," said Sam. "Do you know where that is?"

Vincent frowned. "Is it the same farm that Maisie got sent to?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "No, Vince. It's just a regular farm with cows and chickens."

"Okay," said Vincent, although not entirely convinced.

Sam looked to his neighbor. "Thanks, Emily, but we've got it from here."

She folded her arms. "Okay. If there's any way I can help, let me know."

"We should go before your mom comes back," Volodya said. Sam nodded, and they headed down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fine, fine, fine, okay, the secret's out, and y'all can go looking for foreshadowing in the chapters leading up to this one. The next chapter will expand on it more. When will I post that chapter? Probably soon, I have a lot more written, I just have to scale it back a bit into something coherent and publishable. If not, I'll be back next Sunday. Thanks for reading and see you next week!


	20. Reconciliation

"Wow," said Vincent when he entered the farm house. "This is a nice place."

Volodya gave a smile. "Thank you, Vincent. Make yourself at home."

"Aww, kitty!" he said with delight as the cat greeted him.

"This is Strawberry," said Sam, kneeling down to pet her. "Please be nice to her."

"I will," said Vincent, already picking her up. She used her claws to climb up his coat and jump off his shoulder.

"Let me see if there's anything left to eat," Volodya said, walking towards the kitchen. "Although we'll probably have to go to the store."

"Oh, right," said Sam. He had almost forgotten what had happened the day before. He didn't know the extent to which Volodya had planned his absence.

"We're in luck!" Volodya said, pulling some instant pancake mix out of the cupboard.

"Let me help out with that," Sam said, managing a tired smile. "One of the few things I know how to make."

"Are you sure?" Volodya questioned. "You seem pretty tired, and you just went through a lot. Don't you want to rest?"

"I'm fine!" Sam responded harshly. He softened his voice. "I need the distraction."

Volodya opened his mouth to protest, but shrugged instead. "Okay."

They were silent for a while until a pancake was frying on the stove.

"She means well," said Sam, stepping away from the stove. "It's always been hard for her, what with my dad being away all the time. And I was never that well behaved, it's not like I made it easy for her."

Volodya rinsed his hands off in the sink. "That may be true. But still, she was supposed to take care of you and your brother. Your dad was, too."

Sam used a spatula to check the underside of the pancake, and then flipped it. "My dad did take care of us. Even if he wasn't always around, he sent us money from overseas to support us."

"I know," Volodya said, shaking his hands dry. "But you deserved to have parents that take care of you emotionally, not just physically."

Sam nodded. He sighed. "I don't know what I have to complain about. My parents didn't kick me out like yours did. Or," he remembered recent events, "they never hit me, at least not until today."

"It's still not right for her to treat you that way." Volodya put a hand on his shoulder. "It was brave of you to stand up to her. And to look out for your brother."

"Thanks," said Sam, looking away bashfully. "And thanks for letting us stay here. Hopefully it won't have to be for long."

"Don't worry about it," said Volodya. "You can stay as long as you need. Both of you."

Sam looked partially relieved, partially anxious. "I don't think we'll have to stay that long. And if anything, my dad's coming home in a month. Then everything will be back to normal." He pulled the pancake onto a plate and poured some more batter into the frying pan.

Volodya folded his arms and leaned against the counter, not entirely convinced. "Okay."

The three of them had breakfast, trying to pretend things were normal. Volodya turned to Vincent, as he happily cut into his pancakes with a fork.

"Do you miss your teacher? What were you learning about before she...left?"

"Yeah I miss her," said Vincent. Sam reached out to pull away one of the strings of his cap so it wouldn't get covered in maple syrup. "Hey!" he said, pushing his brother's arm away.

"Sorry, dude," said Sam, raising his hands in apology and grinning.

He and Vincent exchanged glances before getting into a brief slapping battle, Vincent throwing hits and Sam blocking them with his forearms.

Vincent laughed. "I miss my teacher, but I don't miss school at all. We had so much homework."

"I bet," said Volodya, taking a sip of his coffee. "They've got you working your brain muscles."

"I don't think that's how it works," Vincent argued. "Your brain's not a muscle."

"See? You're too smart already," said Volodya. "Would you like some more orange juice?"

"Okay," said Vincent, and he held out his cup for the farmer to pour him some more. He took a sip. "You're really nice."

Volodya smiled. "Thank you, Vincent."

"Yeah," Vincent continued, taking another bite of his pancakes. "My mom always said you were bad because you stole Sam away from us, but you can't be all that bad."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Remember, we talked about this before? Volodya didn't steal me, I came to live here."

"Because he tricked you into living with him," said Vincent.

"No," said Sam, glancing at Volodya with alarm in his eyes. Luckily, Volodya was only amused by the situation. "Me and him were dating, and mom didn't agree with it. So instead, she told you those things."

Vincent used his fork to make trails in the maple syrup on his plate. "Is that why we left? Because she doesn't agree with us?"

Sam frowned. "It has nothing to do with you. She saw me and Volodya together, and so she hit me. I was worried she could hurt you, too, so we had to leave."

"Oh," said Vincent, setting his fork down. He smiled. "Don't worry. She's not going to hurt me because I only like girls."

Sam gave a sad smile. "That's a nice thought. But we don't know that she wouldn't hurt someone for other reasons, too."

Vincent looked down at his half eaten pancakes, thinking about what his brother had said. He turned to Volodya. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"I know what a farm is. It's just, I didn't think Sam knew because when I was little, he told me our old cat went to live on a farm, when really she died."

"Oh, really?" Volodya said, grinning at Sam.

He turned to his brother. "I lied to you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But I promise I won't lie to you anymore."

Vincent peeked up at him out of the corner of his eye. "Okay."

"I'll take you out to meet the animals later, okay kid?" said Sam.

"Yeah," Volodya said, leaning on his elbows. "I'll give you the grand tour, how's that?"

Vincent looked more cheerful. "Okay!"

***

Sam and Volodya cleaned up the kitchen as Vincent played with Strawberry, dragging his hat along the floor so she could try to catch the strings on the end.

"You know, I think we'll be okay here," said Sam, nodding slowly.

Volodya dried his hands on a towel. "That's good. You know, I had plans to add on a few rooms, make it this a proper house. I'll just let Robin know she can start on the renovations."

"That's nice, but you don't need to go out of your way to accommodate us," Sam said, shaking a hand in a reassuring gesture. He rinsed another dish in the sink.

"No," Volodya said quietly, his tone more serious. "I want you to have the house when I'm gone."

Sam dropped the glass he was holding, causing a loud clang as it fell in the sink. Vincent looked up from where he was sitting on the living room floor.

"What do you mean?" Sam said, his voice lowered. "You're not still thinking about that?"

The glance Volodya gave him did nothing to deny it. "Did you get my note?"

Sam's posture straightened. "You said I was the light of your life. That you would always love me."

"So you did read it."

Sam pursed his lips. His voice was shaking. "You were just going to leave me?"

Volodya glanced over to the living room, where Vincent was clearly listening in. "We should discuss this in the other room."

Sam shook his head, but nonetheless followed him into the bedroom and quickly shut the door.

"If you love me like you say you do, then you won't leave me," Sam continued, his voice tense.

"I don't want to leave you," Volodya said calmly, "but nothing's changed since last night. This is what has to happen. I've already done enough damage."

"No, there's got to be some other way," Sam pleaded. "We can work this out!"

"I can't change the way I am, and you know that," said Volodya, his voice raising slightly. "You don't agree with what I do, but you continue to make excuses for me and cover up my mistakes. See this?" He walked over to the bed and reached under it with his foot, kicking out the box of photos and one of Penny's shoes. "I should have been arrested."

"But you didn't kill her!" Sam argued, his face hot. "Pierre kidnapped her and framed you!"

"I know, but you didn't know that. That's the blind loyalty you have for me, even if you couldn't stand the idea that I could have killed her."

"I'm loyal to you because I love you, even your flaws! I would do anything for you!"

"But you don't love me, at least not that part of me. If I don't go through with this, who will I hurt next?" He paused, knowing he shouldn't say it, but he had to make a point. "What if something happened to Vincent?"

There was silence between them as they stood several feet away from each other. Sam had no response.

"You," Volodya breathed, "you're afraid of being alone. You think your whole life depends on what others see in you, like something's wrong with you if you make them upset. But it's not true. I think you have tremendous capability to grow as a person, to be who you are. But you can't do that until you start putting yourself first."

Sam couldn't meet his gaze. He had nothing to say. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took the distraction.

Volodya watched him read the text and swear under his breath. "What?"

"It's Abigail. I forgot we haven't told her anything. Or, Noelle said she wanted to talk to her. She says she left town.

"What?" said Volodya. "Can I see?"

Sam showed him the text.

Abigail: Hi Sam, I want you to know that I left town. Sebastian told me where he was going, and I still can't tell you, but I'm in love with him. I couldn't bear to be without him, so I'm leaving, maybe forever. Goodbye.

Volodya handed the phone back to him. "That sounds pretty dramatic, even for Abigail."

"She really did miss her," said Sam. He pursed his lips. "When did Noelle even talk to her?"

"I don't know," Volodya contemplated. "It must have been before you did, because otherwise, she wouldn't be concerned about outing Noelle to you."

"I'll ask her." Sam typed on his phone. Within a few seconds, Abigail replied. "'He texted me yesterday'? How is that possible? Pierre took Noelle's phone."

"So Pierre texted Abigail?"

"I have to warn her," said Sam, typing out a response.

"Wait!" said Volodya. "What if Pierre already got to her, and by texting her you're telling him you know about everything!"

"Fuck, you're right." He scrolled through the previous texts, his eyes growing wide. "Hey, it sounds exactly like Pierre's fake text to me about Noelle leaving. He's such a jerk!"

"We should go tell them," said Volodya. "She could really be in trouble."

He opened the door to the living room, and Vincent was standing right in front of the doorway.

"Who is Noelle? Why is Pierre a jerk?"

Both Volodya and Sam looked to Vincent in shock.

"I can't tell you right now," said Sam.

"But I thought you said you wouldn't lie to me anymore!" Vincent protested.

"So I'm not going to lie to you, but there are some things I can't tell you," Sam explained.

"Why not?" Vincent asked. "I'm pretty smart. I could probably understand it."

"Well..." Sam glanced at Volodya, who shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo. That's just how it is."

"Is there someone who can watch him?" Volodya asked softly.

"He'll be fine on his own," said Sam. He turned to Vincent. "We'll be back later, do you think you can stay here by yourself for awhile?"

"When is later?" Vincent asked.

"Uh," Sam thought briefly, "A few hours?"

Vincent blinked. "Okay."

Sam placed his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Okay? You remember we walked by Marnie's house on the way here? If anything happens, go there."

Vincent nodded, able to sense something was wrong.

"You can watch anything you want on TV, and help yourself to anything in the fridge." Volodya told him.

Vincent looked sad. Strawberry came up to him, purring as she brushed by his feet. "Don't worry," he said, throwing on a more cheerful face. "Strawberry will keep me company!"

Sam's frown remained unchanged. He patted Vincent on the shoulder. "We'll be back soon."

***

Elliott was surprised to see the two of him on their doorstep in the middle of the day. "You're back already."

"Hi Elliott." Sam gave a quick smile and stepped past them. "Noelle, you have to see this text that Abigail sent me."

Noelle moved towards him. "Abigail? What'd she say?"

Sam showed her the text, and her eyes widened. "Is this real?"

"We think it's Pierre," said Volodya.

"Of course," said Noelle, shaking her head. "Of course Pierre would go for his own daughter."

"So you think he took her to the bunker?" Sam wondered, taking his phone back.

"I don't know," said Noelle. She closed her eyes, and in an instant, she was gone.

Sam and Volodya showed alarm, but Elliott stepped in.

"Don't worry. She'll be back."

***

Noelle found herself in the familiar dim light of the bunker. Looking around, she spotted Abigail asleep on the lower bunk. Having confirmed her suspicions, she knew  
she had to leave before she could put them in danger--

"Hey," said a voice.

Noelle froze as Abigail stirred in her bed. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes.

"Sebastian?"

"Shh," said Noelle, quickly sitting next to her on the bed. "Penny can't know I'm here," she whispered.

"Why are you here?" Abigail asked, disoriented by sleep. She opened her eyes more. "You look...different."

Noelle paused, briefly at a loss for words. "I'm a vampire. Your dad was keeping me here, but I was able to escape. I have to go, but don't worry, I'll come back for you."

"What do you mean?" Abigail was slowly returning to full consciousness.

Noelle took her hand and squeezed it. "I'll come back for you."

"What? Sebastian--"

She was already gone, the space beside Abigail empty as though it had always been that way.

Penny leaned over the railing of the top bunk. "Sister, is someone there?"

Abigail remained seated, her mouth hanging slightly open. "No, Sister. It was just a dream."

***

Sam and Volodya jumped back as Noelle reappeared in the cabin.

"Um--what just happened?" Sam asked, utterly amazed.

"Teleportation," explained Noelle. "A new thing with my condition."

"Vampirism seems to have a lot of things that don't involve drinking blood," Volodya remarked.

"By the way, I need to talk to you about that," said Noelle.

"Wow, teleportation," said Sam. "So you can just teleport anywhere?" He followed her to the kitchen table, where the three of them sat down. Elliott remained working on something at their writing desk.

"No, it's only to places that I have a very clearly established memory of," said Noelle. "Like I could always remember spending time on the pier. That's how I first ended up there."

Fascinating," said Volodya. "So you were able to go back to the bunker?"

Noelle nodded.

Sam leaned in further. "And Abigail wasn't there?"

"No, she was there."

"She WAS there?"

"Yeah." A bittersweet expression crossed Noelle's face. "I told her I would come back for her. I don't know how, though."

Sam raised his eyebrows even further. "You talked to her?"

"I couldn't stay long. I didn't want Penny to know I was there."

"Hold up," Volodya interjected. "Penny's still in the bunker? Why aren't we helping her escape?"

Noelle sighed. "I would if I could. Somehow Pierre got to her and has her convinced that she doesn't want to leave, and if she saw me, she'd definitely tell him. It's like a cult that consists entirely of her and Pierre."

"Did Abigail seem like that when you saw her?" Volodya wondered.

Noelle frowned. "I don't know. I don't think so, but again, I only saw her so briefly."

"Damn." Sam leaned back in this chair.

"Do we have any idea of where this bunker is located?" asked Volodya. "Is there a way inside?"

"That's the thing," said Noelle, "I couldn't find any entrance or exit. That's how I figured out Pierre was teleporting in and out."

Elliott rolled their chair over from their writing desk. "I went to the library and asked Gunther about the existence of any bunkers, bomb shelters, underground bases, anything in the area. He said there's none according to public records."

"Really?" Sam stared down at the table in thought. "This is insane," he concluded.

***

"Hey, it's the farmer!"

Volodya gave a wave as he entered the carpentry shop. "Hey Robin. Do you still have the plans for the addition I wanted to make onto the house?"

"You can bet I do," she said, opening a drawer. She selected a roll of paper and pulled it out, spreading it over the counter. "Does this mean I'm finally going to have another project to work on this winter?"

"Yeah," Volodya said with a laugh. "When do you think you can start?"

Robin scratched her head. "Give me about...a day to gather materials, and I'll be over tomorrow."

"Really? That's great," said the farmer. They shook on it.

"Just glad to be of service," said Robin. She folded her arms, still grinning. "Hey, is that, Sam still living with you?"

"Yeah." Volodya frowned, keeping his professional composure. "He had moved out for awhile, but circumstances have changed, so he's back living with me again."

"I see, need some more space, then?" Robin said, almost a laugh. "I can certainly get started on that right away."

Volodya nodded once, refraining from saying anything further. As he turned to leave, someone called to him from down the hallway.

"Volodya!" He turned to see Demetrius coming in from his lab. "How's the farm these days?"

"Good," Volodya said politely. "How about your lab work?"

"It's been going well," Demetrius said with a deep breath. "I'm close to finishing a report to send for publication."

"Nice." Volodya glanced over at Robin, who was studying the plans for the house. "How have you guys been? I heard about, um, Sebastian leaving."

"Oh, you heard about that?" said Demetrius. "We've been managing. I suppose we should have expected he was going to leave at some point."

"Yep," Robin said as she looked up. "He finally flew the coop, although it'd be nice if he could give us a call once in a while."

Volodya made no comment. "Well, it was good to see you."

Demetrius gave a smile. "You, too. Stay warm out there."

Volodya smiled and waved, stepping outside. He had only walked a few paces away from the house when Demetrius exited behind him.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Volodya said calmly. Sun glinted off the piles of snow in front of the house.

"I'm sorry," Demetrius said again. Deep lines of concern ran across his face. "It's just, it seems like you know."

"Know what?" Volodya asked with a helpful intent.

"About my daughter."

Volodya blinked. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. "I know where she is, and she's doing fine."

"Really?"

Volodya nodded.

Demetrius looked instantly relieved. "Good. Okay. Thanks for telling me."

Volodya gave a nod. "Don't worry about it. See you around."

He waved once before walking back towards the center of town, leaving Demetrius standing there in the snow.

***

Volodya entered the sliding doors into Joja Mart, searching for Sam.

"Hey!" Sam called, coming out of the bread aisle with a half-full cart. "I was just about to check out. Did you get your errand taken care of?"

"Yeah," said Volodya, laying a hand on the cart, studying its contents. A lot of snacks and frozen food. "We should get some produce."

"Oh yeah, I guess we should get something healthy," Sam said, frowning. He pushed the cart towards the produce section.

"Wait," said Volodya, stopping the cart. He pulled out a carton of eggs. He grinned. "You've been living away from the farm too long if you think we need to buy eggs."

"Oh," said Sam in realization. He gave a laugh. "Right, I forgot."

***

"It's not that hard, you just hit a vein in the cow's neck. I mean it's not ideal, but they heal from it."

Noelle nodded as she took the container from Volodya. They were standing in the middle of the cabin, no light peeking in the windows from the evening sky outside. Elliott sat at their writing desk, typing away on their typewriter.

"I really appreciate it. I feel like my strength has been draining lately, and I'm worried what would happen if I went too long without it, if I would get a hunger like Pierre." She shuddered at the idea.

"No, I'm glad to help out," Volodya assured her.

Noelle lifted the bottle to her lips. She paused. "You might want to look away. It's kind of gross."

Volodya grinned. "Don't worry. I've seen plenty of blood."

Noelle blinked. "Right," she said with a smile. She drank the entire contents of the container, finishing by wiping her mouth on her sleeve. A drop fell off her finger and landed on her white sweater. "Damn."

Volodya stepped over to the small kitchen and grabbed a paper towel with soap and water. "Here," he said, handing it to Noelle.

"Thanks." Once the stain was taken care of, she looked back at him, calmly standing in the middle of the cabin.

"I feel like we haven't really talked," he said quietly.

"Yeah," she said, idly brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was going to go for a walk, if you want to come along. I would stay and chat with you in the cabin, but Elliott's been absorbed in their novel (author's note: look who's talking), and they like it quiet."

Elliott gave her a thumbs up, not glancing up from their typewriter.

Volodya turned back to face Noelle. "Okay."

The two of them walked along the shore in the door, crossing the small bridge towards the more secluded side of the beach. Snow dusted the rocks around the tidal pools.

Volodya spoke up. "I saw Demetrius earlier. He asked about you. I think."

Noelle glanced at him. "Why, what did he say?"

"I just mentioned you being gone, and he asked if I knew anything." He stumbled slightly over some rocks. "I didn't know what to say. Sam said you came out to him."

"So what did you tell him?"

Volodya swallowed. "I said I knew where you were, and that you're okay. I didn't tell him anything else, I promise.

Noelle frowned. "Did he say anything else?"

"No." Volodya paused. "He called you his daughter."

Noelle was in disbelief. His daughter, really?

"Either that, or he asked about Maru, and I told him I knew where she is and that she's okay."

Noelle laughed. "Like Maru would ever run away." She was thoughtful for a moment. "It was an accident that I came out to him. I walked out of the bathroom, entirely female presenting, when I thought no one was home."

"Oh, ouch," said Volodya. "That must have been terrifying."

"It really was," Noelle said, nodding. "I was lucky though. He was so supportive. I thought for sure he would tell my mom, but he never did. At least," she cast Volodya a glance, but he shook his head.

"He pulled me aside where she couldn't hear us," Volodya explained.

Noelle closed her eyes in relief. "Good. You know, it's like that was the most me and him got along the entire time I've known him. I'm glad you told him I'm okay. Maybe now he won't worry as much."

"I hope so," Volodya agreed. They continued to walk in the dark.

"Do you still talk to your parents much?" Noelle asked.

"Not at all."

"Really? That bad?"

Volodya frowned. "I came out at fourteen. They kicked me out, I was homeless for awhile, but my aunt took me in. She let me go on hormones at fifteen. That young, I started passing right away. Not like it wasn't easy. When I was sixteen, she signed me up for this gridball camp; it's kind of funny, that's where I met Alex."

Noelle turned to him with surprise. "Really? That's how you know Alex?"

Volodya laughed. "Yeah. He kind of befriended me when everyone else was picking on me. Anyway, my aunt got me top surgery as a 21st birthday present. More like that's when we could barely afford it."

Noelle smiled. "Can I just say, your aunt sounds awesome."

"She was." Noelle knew it was a bad sign for him to say that. Volodya explained. "She passed away a few years ago. Cancer."

"Fuck," Noelle breathed. "That really sucks."

"Yeah."

There was silence between them as a breeze blew across the beach. They found an abandoned dock and walked out on it. Noelle sat down and took her shoes off, hanging her legs off the pier. Volodya sat down beside her.

Noelle glanced at him. "I know I'm not, but aren't you cold?"

"A little." Volodya shrugged. "This isn't that cold compared to where I'm from."

"This would have been a great place to come smoke," Noelle remarked. "Back when I used to."

Volodya nodded, staring out at the traces of the moon's reflection in the water.

"My mom always said those would kill me. I guess she was wrong."

Volodya gave a laugh. "Noelle, you give the term 'deadname' a whole new meaning."

Noelle laughed at that. "I've been thinking about if it would be a good idea to just pretend I died, or moved away, or whatever. Go somewhere else where no one recognizes me, start a new life."

"That's kind of what I did, moving here," Volodya remarked.

"I guess that worked out for you," said Noelle. "To some extent."

"I guess so."

"Don't let me keep you if you need to go," Noelle finally said. "I know you probably want to get back to Sam."

Volodya shook his head. "To be honest, I don't really want to go home. He's kind of mad at me."

"Why's that?"

"It's kind of complicated," Volodya said. "He's mad that I still want to kill myself."

Noelle wasn't sure how to respond.

Volodya breathed a laugh. "It sounds weird to say that. I don't actually want to kill myself. You know how it is, about me being a werewolf. The only way I can keep more people from getting hurt is is if I can't hurt them."

Noelle was silent for a few minutes, but finally, spoke up again. "How did you come out to Sam?"

"I didn't really come out to him." Volodya leaned back on his hands as his boots dangled off the pier. He laughed. "We were just desperate and horny, and things happened. Somehow he didn't leave me after that." His expression changed to something more serious. "You know, he's been the most understanding out of all my previous partners."

"Really?" Noelle stared at the waves, thinking about her friend. "We're both lucky."

"Yeah." Volodya grinned. "I guess that's the best we can hope for, isn't it? That they just don't care."

Noelle nodded. "I don't know if there was any truth in that text when Abigail was supposedly in love with me."

"Why, do you like her?" Volodya's interest was piqued.

"Well...yeah," Noelle said, still looking down at the waves.

"That's great!" Volodya elbowed her in the side. "You probably won't have it so hard, then. Girls are more understanding, I think. I knew it, you've already got this whole lesbian look going for you."

Noelle felt a smile cross her face. "I don't know. When I saw her, she said, 'you look different.' I told her it was because I'm a vampire, but I don't think that's what she meant."

Volodya laughed. "I think it's a good sign. If we can get her out of this shit with Pierre. Aww, wouldn't that be romantic if you saved her?"

"Penny was supposed to save you by taking you to the hospital, and you didn't find that so romantic," Noelle countered.

Volodya's eyes widened. "Wait, really?! THAT was the whole point of that?"

"Yes, she had a deal with Pierre where he injured you bad enough to hurt you for a few days, but not kill you, and by making you think she saved you, she hoped you would fall in love with her." Noelle frowned. "I forgot, I haven't told anyone about that."

Volodya was utterly shocked. "I thought I just got in some sort of...accident..." His expression moved towards outrage. "Pierre attacked me?!"

"He's capable of some dark shit," said Noelle. "That's why I've been hiding for the past few days."

"Damn, if I could have remembered what happened..." Volodya gripped the edge of the plank he sat on. "No one saw it. How could anyone know it was him?"

"Penny saw it," said Noelle. "She saw Pierre attack you in your beast form."

"My beast form..." Volodya trailed off. His voice changed. "Maybe you shouldn't tell Sam about this. He'd probably try to confront--"

"Confront Pierre, yeah," Noelle finished his sentence. "That's why I hadn't told anyone."

They shared a glance in the moonlight, sharing a quiet laugh about their mutual friend.

"You know him better than anyone," said Volodya.

"That means a lot, coming from his actual boyfriend," Noelle said with a grin. "I don't know why I didn't think we would get along. I guess I felt threatened by you, thinking you were stealing my friend away. Sorry for that."

"No, you were threatened because I wanted to change the rules of Solarion Chronicles: The Game," Volodya teased.

"Yes!" Noelle shook her hand in realization. "I was so mad! It seems so dumb now, like it's just a game."

"Well, I'm sorry for messing up your group dynamic." He held out his hand. "Truce?"

They shook hands.

Noelle smiled. "Now that I think about it, you trying to change the classes? Trying to make new characters that didn't fit in one category or the other?"

Volodya grinned. "And how did you not know I was trans?"

Noelle laughed. "Actually, I think I always played wizard because they looked the most androgynous, and here you were saying I could have made the character I wanted all along."

"So you should be thanking me for helping you come out to yourself," Volodya teased.

Noelle rolled her eyes with a grin. "I already knew for awhile. I've been doing DIY HRT for months."

"Wow," Volodya said in awe. "That's so fucking rad."

Noelle brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks."

They were silent for a moment.

Volodya laid back on the pier, looking up at the stars. "I can totally see it now. 'Sure Abigail, I'll go down in the creepy, dark, dangerous mines with you.' 'Hey, Abigail, can I play keyboard in your band?'"

"Actually, I asked Sam to ask her to join."

"Are you kidding me?" Volodya said. He let out a harsh laugh. "You're so gay for her."

Noelle blushed, unable to hide a smile. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Fuck."

"What?"

"I'm just, it's good to talk to you." She blinked, this time finishing her original thought. "I'm glad you didn't die last night."

Volodya sighed. "You'll be glad until I kill someone else. Or did you forget what I did to you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Noelle didn't look at him, just calmly stared down at the waves. "You know I can't leave you alone now."

"Why--oh," he said, sitting up in realization. "I'm fine, I was just going to go home after this."

"Really?" she said, her voice dry with skepticism.

"Yeah," Volodya said with an eye roll that she could probably still see in the dark. "I was just going to hang out for a bit, head home, sneak in without Sam or Vince waking up--"

"Wait a minute, why is Vincent staying with you?" Noelle interrupted. "I know Sam mentioned it earlier, but he didn't say why. You guys are back together?"

"No." Volodya rubbed his face. "This morning, Jodi walked in on us in Sam's room, and started beating him, so he grabbed Vince and we got the fuck out of there. He just didn't want to say anything bad about his mom."

Noelle stared off into the distance, processing what he told her.

"Yeah. Sucks, basically." Volodya levered his body forward and stood up. "You can walk me home, if you have to. Otherwise, it's been a night."

He began walking towards the shore. Noelle hurried after him.

"She was fine when you stayed over before?" she asked.

"I never stayed over at his house before. Last night was sort of an extenuating circumstance."

"And she got mad to see you there, at the house?"

"She saw more than that." Volodya's voice was flat, respectfully keeping details to a minimum. "Obviously, I'm not going to abandon him while he's going through some shit. But it's only going to get worse from here."

Noelle's eyes widened. "Why, what do you think Jodi's going to do?"

Volodya shook his head in the dark. "No, I mean, if people find out about me. When people find out, I should say."

Noelle frowned. "I know what you mean."

Volodya kept moving forward, but Noelle stopped and grabbed his arm.

"Wait," she said. "There has to be something we can do."

"Sam said that, too. It's pointless." He sighed.

"What about the Wizard? Maybe he would know something."

"What wizard?" Volodya asked, considering it a strange suggestion, but then he remembered the man he ran into at the fair. "What's his name. Rasmodius?"

"He lives in a tower to the west of here. I've never been there, but I think he does some sort of...dark sorcery?" She was thoughtful.

Volodya shrugged. "Sure. We'll visit there tomorrow."

"I can't go out during the day," Noelle pointed out. "We might as well go now."

Volodya blinked, unable to come up with a reason to decline. "Then let's go."

***

It was midnight by the time they reached the tower. Volodya tentatively knocked on the door. There was no answer.

Volodya turned to Noelle. "What are we doing here? He's probably asleep."

Suddenly, the door creaked open. They stood there, looking into the tower, as though it had heard them and invited them in despite its owner's absence. Volodya looked to Noelle expectantly, and she wandered inside, taking in the strange surroundings: candles burning strangely colored flames, a cauldron bubbling in the corner, strange specimens in jars lining shelves on one wall. There was a fireplace burning into the corner, a staircase circled up the side of the tower to an upper floor.

Volodya followed her inside. "Hello?" he called. "Wizard? Is anyone here?"

There was no answer. Noelle took to the staircase, climbing it with curiosity. Volodya hurried after her.

The second floor was a library, walls covered up to the ceiling with books on the arcane arts. Noelle traced a few with her fingers. Several were in languages completely unintelligible. She found one titled Beasts of the Unknown, and pulled it out, flipped through a few pages, and returned her attention to the shelf, where she found another relevant tome to grab.

"I think these could be useful," she remarked quietly, staring at one as she cradled the other in her arms.

"Maybe," Volodya said with a nod.

She continued to search the bookshelf for interesting titles.

"Hey, Noelle?"

"What?" she turned around to face him, his face unusually close. Their eyes caught each other, and he hesitated, putting another millimeter between them.

He his face was blank, and his lips barely moved as he spoke. "I don't know why. I just feel like I could kiss you right now."

Before either of them knew what was happening, she was leaning towards him, their lips meeting for a kiss. It was so simple, and Noelle stared at him afterwards, feeling guilty about what it could mean. Instead, she dropped the books and kissed him again, linking her arms around his neck. His hands found her waist. It felt so good, she felt so attracted to him, and he clearly felt the same about her. She slid a hand from his neck down to his chest; it felt so solid. Secure. He moved his lips down her chin and began kissing the side of her neck. A werewolf was kissing her neck.

She stopped and pushed him away. "What about Sam?" she said flatly.

"We broke up." He sighed. "No, you're right, we almost hooked up this morning." He frowned. "And what about Abi? I thought you were a lesbian?"

Noelle held her elbow in a fit of insecurity. "I thought so too." Her eyes flitted up at him. "On the way here, you kept holding my hand, you said it was platonic."

"I don't know what that was. I wanted to think it was. I wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"I didn't save your life," she said, unable to meet his gaze. "Sam called you, remember?"

His voice was soft. Humble. "I mean for saving my life tonight. You wouldn't let me leave alone. I was afraid if I let go of your hand, I would forget why I was there. But you didn't let go."

Her eyes grew wide at the realization, and she shifted her gaze up to his, and they shared a brief moment of understanding before they heard the sound of the door downstairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to cut this chapter short because it was too long. AKA I will probably post another update soon. Although it's getting into the territory of content no one wanted or asked for? Hmm. 
> 
> Anyway thanks for reading, leaving comments, kudos, I appreciate it and see you next Sunday with another update!!!
> 
> Edit: added more consent bc consent is cool


	21. How is she going to put on that necklace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I'm removing explicit content from this chapter to put it in the next one.

Suddenly, they froze, making eye contact with each other as they heard the sound of the door opening downstairs. Volodya cautiously made his way to the stairs, Noelle behind him, clutching the books she had dropped earlier. As they descended into the first room, Sam and Elliott stared up at them.

"There you are!" Sam said with a great sense of relief. He waited for Volodya to finish coming down the stairs, and held out his arms. Volodya stared back at him, hesitating before partaking in the embrace.

"Sam came by asking where you were," Elliott explained. "I said I thought I saw you two heading back towards the forest, and we didn't know if you meant to return to the cliffs. We followed your footsteps in the snow."

"Well, you can see I'm fine," said Volodya, folding his arms.

Sam's expression was similarly bitter, although more concerned. "You have to understand," he said to Volodya, "I've learned what it means when you go out at night and don't come back. It's never good."

Volodya's hands fell to his side. When he spoke, his voice was softer. "It's okay," he said. "Noelle's been watching after me."

"Really?" Sam looked to his friend in pleasant surprise.

She nodded. "He's my friend, too."

Sam threw his arms around her in gratitude. "Thank you." When he pulled away, Noelle shifted the books she was carrying around in her arms. She dropped one, and he picked it up and handed it back to her. "So what are you guys doing here? Borrowing books from the wizard?"

"We meant to talk to him," Noelle explained, "but I don't know where he is--"

She was cut off by a loud sound on the other side of the room. A bright flash of light occurred, and in the middle of a strange circle drawn on the floor stood the wizard.

"Greetings!" the man announced to the four mildly frightened, mildly amused visitors. "I have long awaited your arrival."

Volodya raised an eyebrow. "Y-you have?" he stuttered.

"Indeed I have, man without a heart," said the wizard, stepping towards him. He addressed Elliott and Sam. "The lion without courage, the straw man with no brain." He looked at Noelle. "And, of course, Dorothy."

"What did he say to me?" Sam said aside to Volodya.

The farmer shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"I doubt any of us have even seen that movie," said Noelle, although her skepticism was dampened by the opportunity to be gendered correctly by a near stranger.

"I've seen it," said Elliott. "Although, if I remember correctly, the wizard was less than helpful."

"Silence!" the wizard called. He fluttered the corner of his cloak and a burst of red smoke escaped with a flash of light and thunder. Again, his visitors were silent. He continued. "The Wizard of Oz may have been a farce, but I am the real deal! All of you have come here seeking something, and I will do my best to aid you with my arcane abilities. Tin man!"

Volodya was silent.

The wizard gave him a nasty side eye. "That's you."

After much unspoken prodding, Volodya spoke up. "Yes, sir?"

Rasmodius strolled across the room to the boiling cauldron.

"What is it you desire most?"

Volodya followed him, leaning over the pot to get a better look.

The wizard held up his scepter and pushed him away. "Answer the question."

"Um..." His face suddenly filled with resolve. "To end the suffering of others."

The wizard didn't look up as he took a soup ladle and stirred it around. "Ah, perhaps you do have a heart." When he withdrew the utensil from the liquid, it held a lone, beating heart.

"What the fuck!" Volodya responded sharply, reeling back in disgust. "Whose is that?"

The wizard made a motion towards him. "It's yours," he said in a calm manner. He returned to his theatrical tone to say, "Consume your own beating heart, and by better understanding your true self, gain control over your nature."

Volodya grimaced, but nonetheless took the ladle from the wizard. He bit into the heart, as his three companions expressed dismay.

"Gross," Sam said, one eye closed.

"That looks most unpalatable," remarked Elliott.

Noelle said nothing.

Volodya continued eating the heart, taking his time to chew and swallow it in pieces. "It's kind of tough," he said through a bloody mouthful.

Meanwhile, the wizard approached Elliott. "Lion!"

Elliott folded their arms, clawing at the elbows of their coat in subconscious anxiety. "Yes, Wizard?"

The wizard swept past them, his cloak brushing against their shins as he made his way to stand before the fireplace. "What do desire seek most of all?"

"I-I don't know, great wizard--"

"SPEAK UP!" the wizard's voice boomed as he gazed into the fireplace. "Cowardly Lion."

Elliott coughed, clearing his throat. "I want to tell the townspeople--"

A flash of light filled the air as a spark burst from the fireplace. The wizard pulled a piece of paper from the flames. "Here you are," he said, handing it to Elliott.

Noelle leaned over to look at the 8.5 x 11'' sheet. "Did you just use your fireplace to print out a Facebook post from the future?"

"And yet you still doubt my abilities," the wizard said with a self-righteous shrug.

Elliott began to read the post, which was from themself, published two days from now. "'Dearest citizens of Stardew Valley. Perhaps you've seen me around town from time to time, the eccentric writer who lives on the beach. I have long debated the affirmatives and negatives of sharing my truth, but it is today that I share with you the joy that I do not identify within the confines of the gender binary.'" They glanced up at the wizard in amazement. "You wrote me a coming out post?"

"Why, you wrote it, of course!" claimed the wizard. "Look at the header. Is that not your name and profile picture?"

Elliott frowned. "Why, yes, but--"

"I am merely showing you of what you are capable. You will publish those exact words in two days' time. The courage you sought was within you all along."

Elliott looked at the bottom of the page. The footer read "Volodya, Sam, Noelle, and 30 others liked this post." As they contemplated the paper, the wizard moved to address Sam.

"Straw Man."

"Is that me?" said Sam, laughing nervously.

The wizard clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not ready to help you yet."

Sam gave a friendly smile. "That's okay, wizard, I don't really need help. My brother and I just fled our home, but we're doing alright."

"You do have a brain, but you don't listen to it," said the wizard. "Just look at Volodya."

They all looked to the farmer, who glanced up from his half eaten meal of heart. He gave a weak smile, his mouth full, blood dripping down his chin.

"You don't need to enable him anymore. His problems are his own."

A wave of anger passed over Sam. "So you think I shouldn't have saved him all those times? If I don't look after him, who else will?!"

"That's not what I said, Straw Man."

"Wizard," said Elliott. "You asked the rest of us what we desire most, yet you did not ask Sam this."

"Of course," the wizard said, sturdying himself on his walking stick, tipping the brim of his hat down so that his eyes were shaded. "I know not to ask this of Straw Man, because he does not know."

Sam frowned, unsure how to answer.

"Next we have Noelle," said the Wizard, standing in front of her.

"How do you know my name?" Noelle asked with a quizzical expression, still clutching the books to her chest.

"So you want to go home," he said, folding his arms.

"No," she said in a protesting manner, setting the books down on a nearby table. "What I want is to pass--"

"SILENCE!" Another flash of light.

Noelle folded her arms, rolling her eyes. When the smoke cleared, the wizard was standing beside her. She jumped in surprise.

"Hello," he said.

"Gah! What the fuck?"

"Of course you want to go home," the Wizard continued, pacing in front of her, "but what does home really mean? Is it a place? Is it a feeling? Is it the people who surround you?"

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "I just want people to see me as a girl--"

"You want to find the people who see you for who you are. And that is why I give you this looking glass," he said, pulling an object out of the interior of his cloak. It was a small metal triangle with a circle of glass in the middle. "Wait!" he said, snatching it back before Noelle could take it. He placed it back in the interior of his cloak, and instead pulled out a chain, the same object now fixed on it as a pendant. "You women like jewelry, right?"

Noelle furrowed her brow with an amused smile. She took the necklace, holding up the eyepiece to look through it. She saw Volodya at the other end of the room, wiping his mouth as he finished eating the heart.

"It doesn't work," she said. "Everything looks the same."

"Hmm," the wizard said in a sharp, haughty tone as he walked away from her, deliberately leaving her concern unanswered. "Well, that's all for me," he said, one foot stepping onto the staircase. "I believe I'll retire for the evening, unless you have any other queries."

"Wait!" Volodya called, moving towards him. "What about Pierre? What about Abigail and Penny, they're still trapped in a bunker somewhere!"

The wizard froze from where he stood, midway up the staircase. He slowly turned around. "Abigail? What did you say has become of her?"

Volodya clasped his hands behind his back, glancing at Noelle for an explanation.

Noelle stepped forward. "Pierre is keeping Penny in a bunker somewhere; he was using her as a thrall. And recently, Abi found out; that's why he has her there, too."

The wizard descended by one step. "And how do you know this?"

"Well," said Noelle, "He kept me there, too. Ever since he turned me into a vampire, until I was able to escape."

The wizard tipped his hat downwards. "That's very serious, very serious indeed. I've known of Pierre for quite some time, but never had I suspected he would be capable of...I'll have to report him to the arcane authorities right away."

"Really?" Elliott asked. "That exists?"

"Yes," said the wizard, hurrying back down the stairs. He place a hand on Noelle's shoulder. "And you'll have to register as well." Upon seeing the fright in her face, he added, "Don't worry, it's just a formality. Pierre's the one who will get in trouble."

"So what are we going to do?" asked Sam. "How are we going to get them out of there?"

The wizard moved to his divination circle and began making patterns with his scepter, illuminating lines on the floor. "Well, children, I'm afraid it's best if you stay out of this for now. Like I said, I'll contact the authorities, and in the meanwhile, I recommend you minimize your contact with him. He's clearly dangerous."

Volodya frowned. "So we just wait for them to do something about it?"

The wizard stopped what he was doing and turned to address them all with a sigh. "Yes. Don't worry, I'll try to keep you updated with the details of the case. Oh! And Noelle," he added, walking over to his fireplace. He waved his hand and a flame appeared. He pulled a neatly stapled packet from the ashes and handed it to her. "Just fill that out and get it back to me when you can."

Noelle took the paperwork, completely speechless.

"Alright, the four of you best be going home," said the Wizard.

"Are you kicking us out?" asked Volodya.

The wizard frowned. He flicked his wrist and in an instant, the four visitors were drawn out of the tower and the door closed.

"I suppose that's that," Elliott remarked.

"What was the point of you eating that heart?" Sam asked Volodya. "Did it do anything?"

The farmer shrugged. He held out his hand, and in an instant, claws sprouted from his fingertips and thick hair grew from his knuckles. A second later, and his hand was reverted to its original form. He grinned. "Neat!"

Noelle and Elliott watched in horror.

Volodya laughed. "Hey guys, check this out! Rawr!" He made a scary face and held up his hands menacingly, able to temporarily transmute them into claws, his teeth growing long and sharp, a thick beard and sideburns sprouting from his neck.

"Let's go home," said Sam, putting a tired hand on Volodya's shoulder.

 


	22. Midnights

Noelle sat at the table flipping through one of the books. Elliot had left to run errands and Volodya was there, he had been there all day. He didn't want to be home with Sam and his brother.

"Was it really a good idea to let them move in with you if you needed some space?" she said, sure he could hear her as he reclined on Elliott's bed.

"They needed a place to stay. And I had other plans on how to get space from them."

Noelle knew what he meant. She stood up and walked towards him, leaning on the wall by elliott's bed. "Hey, is it weird that I claimed I was a lesbian? I've hardly... _done_ anything with a girl before."

Volodya glanced up at her. "No, it's not weird."

Noelle sighed. "I was anxious about asking Abigail out. I was worried, like what if she wants me to go down on her. What if she wants me to...I don't even know where to start."

Volodya gave a lighthearted laugh. "It's not so hard. Just take it slow, explore, see what she likes."

"I guess you would know what you're talking about."

"Yeah." Volodya blinked. "Why, do you want me to show you?" His tone was more serious than joking.

She grimaced. "I know you mean that in my best interests, but after what happened last night in the tower, I can't trust you."

Volodya's expression stayed the same. "So do you want me to show you?"

Noelle nodded.

****

Noelle stood up. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

Volodya nodded, reaching for his pants. As he sat on the bed, fastening them, he glanced up at her. "Maybe you should put that thing away before Elliott comes back."

"What thing--" Noelle looked down and saw the tent in her skirt. She blushed, holding her hands over her lap.

Volodya laughed. "You're so shy. It's kind of cute."

"Don't say that," she said. Her expression was pained, angry. "You're only attracted to me because you still see me as a guy."

Volodya's face fell. "No, Noelle...the reason I'm so scared is because I'm attracted to you and I don't see you as a guy. I saw you in full boy mode and ignored you for months."

Noelle didn't know what to say.

"Look," said Volodya, kicking the towel under the bed. "Let's forget this even happened; we can just keep it a secret. But do you want to just...talk about it?"

Noelle sat down on the bed next to him, staring away in silent contemplation. "Who do you see when you see me, then?"

"I see..." his voice trailed off. He leaned back on his hands. "A cute vampire girl."

Noelle turned her head towards him and they only made eye contact for a few seconds before she jumped onto him, kissing him passionately. He fell back onto Elliott's pillow, surprised at first, but by no means disagreeing with it. As she lie on top of him, kissing him, he cradled her in his arms, one hand on her shoulder blade and the other on the small of her back. She moved a trail of kisses down to his neck, as he had done the day before, and he laughed.

"You trying to turn me, vampire girl?"

She grinned. "Only in your dreams, wolf boy."

They continued to kiss for a few minutes, stopping every so often to giggle at how ridiculous the situation was. Eventually, Noelle retired to lying next to him, his arm around her shoulders. Being a couple inches taller than him, her legs almost hung off the end of the bed. The pair of them cocooned together in the warmth of the cabin, away from the harsh bright light and icy wind of the outside.

"I'll never forget," Volodya remarked, "when we were dumb enough to go looking for my body, and when we couldn't find it, you were just like, 'because you didn't die!'" He laughed. "You were so done with our shit."

Noelle blinked. Her head lay on his chest, and she felt his breath move up and down. The t-shirt he was wearing was so soft.

"Noelle," he whispered, idly playing with her name in his mouth. He combed his fingers through her hair and leaned his neck to kiss the top of her head.

She laughed. "Yeah, that was a wild night. Sorry, I was just thinking about...life, I guess."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I don't know, like I was just so miserable for so long, but this is the first time I've felt like things might be okay. And you, you almost killed yourself, but you're here acting like that was just a bad dream."

He pulled his arm tighter around her. "I'm afraid if I were to walk away from you right now, I'd die. I still feel the way I did last night, holding your hand. No...I'm sorry. What I mean is, I feel so much positive energy being around you."

"Hmm," she breathed. "A few days ago, we hardly knew each other."

"Yeah." Volodya laughed. "What did you think of me?"

"When? When you came into the cabin, thinking you were dead?"

"Well, that too. Actually, don't tell me what you were thinking then."

Noelle laughed. "I was going to say, who's this dumbass, and what's he been smoking?"

Volodya laughed deeply, Noelle could feel him underneath her.

She smiled. "And how you apologized for killing me, that was really cute. I thought I just came off as a bitch."

"No, don't say that," Volodya cooed, "But if that's what you call being a bitch, you need to be a bitch more often. It's really hot."

Noelle felt a smile cross her face. She looked up, tilting her head back to look at him. "I've never...I've never felt hot before. I don't know if anyone's ever said that to me."

"What, you didn't feel hot when you were a mathlete in high school?" Volodya teased. When Noelle showed some surprise, he added, "Oh yeah, Sam told me all about that."

"Shut up." She flicked a hand in his face, and he brushed it away. "Sam. Always trying to be someone else's savior."

"He took care of me, even when I told him he didn't have to, told him not to, even." Volodya sighed. "I don't want to talk about him. Sorry for bringing him up."

Noelle nodded. "Good. He can wait outside."

They lie there quietly for another minute before Noelle rolled onto him and reached her lips up to his. He closed his eyes as he kissed her, his hand combing through the hair on the back of her head.

"I feel so safe," she said. "I don't know what Abigail would do, if she would be grossed out by me. But with you, I don't have to worry if that's what you're thinking. I know how you feel towards me is genuine."

Volodya closed his eyes, a sort of pained expression. He nodded.

"What, is something wrong?"

"Sam." He bit his lip. "Sometimes I wonder if he only slept with me because he was being polite, like he knew it would be bad to leave a relationship just because the other person's trans, so he pretended like nothing was wrong and he stayed. What if he was just pretending to like me?"

Noelle listened to him, her heart heavy. "I feel that way, too, like if I were to come out to Abi. Like she'd be too afraid to admit she ever did something wrong. But I like you."

Volodya breathed a smile. "I like you too, Noelle."

Noelle smiled, feeling his chest underneath her. She shifted to look up at him. "I like it when you touch me. When you hold me. It's like I never felt wanted before."

"Okay good," he said with a grin. "Because I want to hold you and touch you a lot more."

She grinned and they kissed again.

"So what did you think of me?" he asked again.

She fell to his side and breathed a laugh. "What?"

"When you first saw me? When was that, when I moved to town?"

Noelle wrinkled her nose. "That feels so long ago. I remember seeing you at the pub, I thought, 'that's weird, he's talking to Alex.'"

Volodya laughed. "We didn't stay friends for long."

"So what's the story there? You met him at summer camp?"

Volodya took her hand in his, playing around with her fingers. "I passed, but obviously I still needed special treatment, like I couldn't use their locker room. I was bunking with Alex, and I think he took pity on me for being 'a girl.' Whenever the other kids tried to make fun of me for being weird, he told them off. Um..." Volodya lied still for a moment, his voice softer when he spoke. "I lost my virginity to him that summer."

Noelle blinked, trying to imagine it. "Just like that? Like in your shared bunk bed? Or," she breathed out. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"We went outside. It was after a particularly brutal match, had the blood pumping. I tried to tackle him unsuccessfully, he was kind of weirded out by it. So later that night, and I said I wanted to talk to him outside about something. So he followed me out behind the bathrooms, and I just took off my clothes and lied down in the grass next to some bushes. Somehow we didn't get caught, and at the end of the summer, he said we should keep in touch. I got his number but I never called him."

Noelle was silent, stunned by the whole story.

Volodya sighed. "When I ran into him after moving to town, he was so friendly. I asked him to dance at the flower festival, and he turned me down. I guess I thought he was my only option, like no one else could love someone like me."

"That's real." Noelle breathed quietly. "What was it like, coming on to him like that? I mean at summer camp. Were you scared?"

"I was so fucking scared. I didn't know what he thought of me, and I didn't really know how any of it worked." He laughed. "I was just like, 'I'll lie down and you give me the sex now.'"

"What did he do?"

"He got down and put it in. Fucking hurt, since neither of us knew what we were doing."

Noelle laughed. "Sounds like my first time."

"Why, do you want to share?" Volodya said with a laugh.

"No, not really," she admitted.

"It's okay," he said. For a minute, they lie there, and he gently combed his fingers through her hair.

"It was in high school. I had asked this girl to prom; actually it's funny, Sam asked a girl to prom, always being the social butterfly. The four of us were hanging out after, and I think Sam's date was mad that he was just ready to call it a night and go home. He told me he was ready to go back to the valley, so we dropped his date at home and then he was surprised when we got to Anise's house and I got out with her. He just drove off, completely confused."

Volodya breathed a laugh. "So what happened then?"

"We went up to her room and made out for a bit. She wanted to keep her dress on, and honestly, I didn't want to take my clothes off, either. It was an awkward conversation when I went to return the suit why there were fucking cum stains on it."

Volodya laughed pretty hard at that. Noelle grinned.

"Anyway, her parents heard us, and just like some sort of movie, I escaped out a second story window. Except then I had to call my mom from outside the nearest gas station asking her to come pick me up in a town forty minutes away."

Volodya was still laughing, he paused to wipe a tear from his eye. "Why did any of us think we had to have sex in high school? Seems like such a bad idea."

Noelle blinked. "Yeah."

They laid there quietly for a moment, contemplating and sharing each other's presence.

Suddenly, there was a rattling noise as someone tried the front door handle.

Volodya blinked, and in an instant, his dream girl was gone, he was just lying alone on Elliott's bed.

Elliott knocked on the front door. "Hello? Noelle, why did you lock the door?"

Volodya brushed himself off and hurried to open it. "Hey," he said.

Elliott stepped inside. "Where's Noelle?"

"I don't know." Volodya held his elbow behind his back. "Sorry, I sort of took a nap on your bed."

Elliott waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. It's quite comfortable."

Volodya gave a polite smile. "I should get back to the farm."

"Don't let me keep you," said Elliott. "Although I wonder where Noelle could have gone in all this sunshine? I hope she didn't randomly teleport again."

***

Noelle glanced around her surroundings as she stood in her old room.

"Fuck," she whispered under her breath. She remembered lying there with Volodya, maybe it was a few minutes, maybe an eternity. Her eyes fluttered as she remembered it. He had said she was cute. He said she was hot. He said he wanted to hold her. And then she fled at the idea of someone seeing them together. She rubbed her face in distress.

She took a step towards her old desk. She could tell some things were missing, like Pierre must have packed up her desktop computer and sent it in a box down the river, or whatever he did with it to relate to the story that she had gone away. Ironically, her laptop was still in its sleeve at the foot of her bed, the computer she used just as much if not more due to its versatility. Why didn't she come back here before?

The sound of footsteps by the stairs made her jump, dropping the laptop with a heavy thud on the floor.

"Sebastian?"

She somehow remained glued to this time and space as her mother entered the room and turned on the lights, eyes wide as dinner plates. There were no words that could be said.

"You're back," her mother stammered. The only time she had heard her mother unsure of herself.

Noelle straightened her posture. "Just visiting."

Robin took a few steps towards her and folded her arms. "This is a new look on you."

"This is just how I dress." Noelle sighed. "You don't have to like it."

"I didn't realize I had two daughters," Robin said with a harsh laugh. Noelle knew she only meant it as a joke, one of the completely tasteless variety.

"Mom," she began, already aware she had zero energy to deal with this interaction, "never mind. I'll just leave, then." She picked up her laptop and headed for the door.

"Excuse me, princess!" her mother called after her. She teleported as soon as she was out of sight.

"Noelle! I was wondering where you were," said Elliott as they saw her reappear. They frowned upon seeing her wipe a tear from her eye. "What's wrong?"

Noelle set the laptop down on the table and sat down. She looked around the cabin, but it was clear the Volodya had already left. She couldn't blame him, considering he had done the same. Elliott sat across from her, looking concerned.

"I just went back to my old room, and my mom saw me."

"Really? That's unfortunate," they remarked. "I take it she wasn't very pleasant towards you."

Noelle shook her head. "She just joked in the stupid way cis people do."

"I'm so sorry."

Elliott took her hand across the table. She shook it off.

"Um, yeah," she said shyly.

***

It was the middle of the afternoon and Elliott's phone rang. "Hello? Volodya?"

"Hi, can I talk to Noelle for a minute?"

Elliott frowned. "Sure."

They went to the kitchen where Noelle was reading at the kitchen table. They tapped her on the shoulder. "It's for you," they said, handing her the phone. When she gave them a puzzled look, they added, "It's the farmer."

Instantly her face lit up and her book fell closed as she pulled the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi."

She breathed out laughter, and she heard him do the same on the other end. "I know, like, what's going on?" She paused, hearing animal noises in the background. "Are you in a barn?"

"Yes, Noelle, I'm hiding in out the barn so I can talk to you." He stopped as a cow mooed right beside him. "Tulip says hello," he said unceremoniously.

Noelle laughed. "I'm just standing in the kitchen. It feels very domestic."

"That doesn't sound like you; you're a multi-talented woman."

"Aww," she beamed, "You knew me before, I lived in a basement most of the time."

"How was I supposed to know that if I never spent time there to know that you spent most of your time there?"

"Stop," she teased. "So why are you calling? And on Elliott's phone?"

"Your phone got confiscated. I guess I could give Pierre a call? Better not."

"Right." She folded her arms as she leaned against the kitchen cabinets.

"So how are you? What have you been up to?"

"Just reading. I don't know, I've been flipping through the wizard's books and it's all pretty cryptic. It doesn't say anything about werewolves other than something complicated about the tides? And vampires, there was a whole bunch of confusing information. I don't even know if we can die."

"Weird."

"Yeah." She kicked at a pebble on the floor. "What's going on with you?"

He sighed. "Things are the same over here. It's worse because your mom is here now--"

"Wait, my mom is there?" Noelle asked with surprised intrigue.

"Yeah, she's renovating the house. My plan was to expand the house so Sam and Vincent could have it when I was gone."

Noelle was silent for a moment. "You're not still thinking of going through with that?"

"No." He sounded more sure, this time, which put her more at ease. "It's kind of a mess, though. I let Sam and Vincent take my room, so I'm sleeping on the couch." He paused. "Where do you sleep?"

"I don't," said Noelle.

"Oh." He laughed a bit. "Right, of course."

Noelle laughed along. "Maybe you forgot I'm not like other girls."

"How could I forget?" Volodya said in a deep voice that her pulse quicken. "Anyway, it's like I've been kicked out of my own house. Even the cat sleeps with them."

"This just seems unnecessary," said Noelle. "There's really no where else for them to go?"

"Not really." Volodya gave a sigh. "Maybe you know they have grandparents who live a couple towns over, but according to Sam, they're even worse. They have Fox News on in the background 24/7. And I'm definitely not letting them move back in with that insane woman."

Noelle thought for a moment. Her voice was quieter when she spoke. "What exactly happened that morning?" She paused. "You don't have to tell me if you don't--"

"I'll tell you about it," Volodya assured her. "Just, maybe later."

"Okay, sure." Noelle glanced over at the other room where she could see part of Elliott as they sat at their writing desk.

"I don't know when I'm going to see you again," he said.

She sighed. Never had she thought she would hear that from someone, meaning exactly what he meant. "I don't know, either. I take walks along the beach at night."

"You know if I start disappearing late at night, Sam will go looking for me again."

Noelle knew he was right. He had proven that he couldn't be trusted, and Sam had proven he took responsibility for Volodya's well being, no matter the cost.

"I don't know if you want me to come visit you during the day," he continued. "Elliott's going to start suspecting something, and I don't want to keep intruding their space."

"True."

Volodya gave a humorless laugh. "This is what being queer is like, there's no space for us."

"I guess so," Noelle said sadly. "Hey, I forgot to tell you what happened yesterday."

"Oh right, when you just disappeared on me?"

If Noelle had the ability for blood to flush her cheeks red, she would have.

"I'm just joking," he said before she could apologize. "I understand why you did it. It's totally fine. I'm just glad I got to spend time with you."

Noelle hoped that Elliott couldn't see her eyes fluttering, palms not sweating like this. "Me too."

He laughed. "My god, you're adorable. So what happened? Did you go back to the bunker and have a little pow wow with the girls?"

"No, actually, I went back to my old room. I saw my mom."

"You saw your mom?! For real?"

"Yeah." Noelle rubbed the side of her nose. "It was--"

"How did--" He was silent, having accidentally interrupted her. "Go ahead."

She blinked. "It was really awkward."

"Yeah, I bet!"

They both laughed.

"She um, I just kind of shrugged her off. She was like, 'oh, I have two daughters now.' But like, not because I told her anything, just like she was making a joke."

"I know what you mean. So then what did you say?"

"I don't know, I just told her this is the way I dress and she doesn't have to like it. And then I left."

"Shit." Volodya laughed for a minute. When he finally caught his breath, he said, "You're such a bitch, and I love it."

She smiled at that, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hey," he said. "Can I say something a bit forward?"

Noelle bit her lip. "Yeah."

"I dreamed about you last night."

Noelle was silent. She didn't know how to tell him how much she had been thinking of him.

"I want to do more things. With you." He paused after not hearing her voice for some time. "Noelle?"

"--Yes," she answered. "Yes...I want to..." She froze mid sentence.

"I know Elliott's probably there, and you can't talk about it," he said. "I'll come down to the beach tonight. Midnight, on that dock past the tide pools like last time. We can at least talk then."

"Okay," she agreed. "What about Sam?"

"I'll find some excuse. Hey, is there anything you want me to tell your mom while she's here? Something to passive-aggressively drop in a conversation?"

Noelle laughed at that. "I don't know...tell her it's Sam who wears the pants."

"What?" Volodya laughed.

"She was wondering one night at dinner before I left. You don't actually have to say that," she added.

"You can butter your biscuit and bet I'm going to tell her that Sam wears the pants in our no-longer-existent relationship," said Volodya.

Noelle laughed. "Okay. Talk to you later, then."

"Yeah," said Volodya. "I hope so."

Noelle hung up and set the phone down on the counter, folding her arms, lost in thought. A minute later, she picked it up and returned it to Elliott. "Sorry about that."

"No worries," they said, returning to their work with no questions asked.

***

Noelle left the cabin around midnight, and as she stepped towards the bridge towards the secret beach, she nearly jumped as she heard a familiar "Hey!" come from around the corner of the cabin. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.

She smiled. "What are you doing sneaking around at night?"

"Just paying someone a visit," his voice purred in her ear.

She turned around and pushed him against the side of the cabin, his curly hair flying up as she kissed him.

"Shh," he whispered, laughter in between his breaths, "You want them to hear us?"

Noelle smiled as she pulled away. His hands had found her hips somehow. Her hands slid from his shoulders to his chest.

"Do it," she whispered.

He pulled her hips towards his, grinding them together softly.

She laughed. "I thought we were just going to talk."

Hand in hand, they made their way back out to the dock. His breath was visible in the cold night air.

"It's always so quiet out here," he said, his feet hanging off over the water.

"Yeah," she agreed.

He leaned toward her, and they kissed again, and again, and one hand of his trailed up the side of her body, cupping her small breast.

He stopped, his hand falling back to his side. "You like it when I touch you there?"

She nodded. She looked around the empty beach, mostly dark in the night time, and pulled off her sweater.

"This is what estrogen does?" he asked quietly, his hand finding one of them again as he studied her.

She laughed. "Shouldn't you know that already?"

He grinned, rolling his eyes. After shrugging off his own coat, he pulled off his shirt to reveal his chest.

"Can I?" she asked, reaching out a hand. He nodded, and she slowly traced the scars. She grinned. "These are badass."

He laughed. "I'm glad you think so."

They slowly leaned into each other, their lips meeting for yet another time.

He pulled away, his hands shaking. Quickly, he shoved them into his pockets.

"Are you cold?" she asked softly.

"A little."

She waited for him to don his layers again, looking more prepared for the cold than the last time they met here. Putting her hands into her own pockets, she felt the object the wizard had given her. She pulled out the necklace and lifted it to her eye, looking at him through what seemed was a regular old piece of glass.

"See anything?" Volodya asked.

"Not really," she shrugged. She pulled the chain around her neck and fumbled with the clasp.

"Here," said Volodya, and he crawled to kneel behind her, taking the chain in his hands. He swept her hair aside and fastened the necklace behind her neck.

"Thanks." She studied the pendant on her bare chest before she reached for her sweater and pulled it on. "I was going for a witchy vampire, cool girl look."

"You already are a cool girl," said Volodya.

"Thanks," she said shyly. She glanced out at the calm waters. "I wish we had a better place to meet."

"Yeah," he agreed. He sat so he was straddling her from behind, his arms around her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder. "I wish I could see you better. Although the dark makes it feel special, like our love is secret."

Noelle laughed. "Our love IS secret." She paused, interlacing one of his hands in hers. "I almost wonder if we could meet in my old room."

"You're forgetting that I would have to sneak into your house, or give some sort of excuse as to why I'm there."

"Oh." She gave a laugh. "Yeah."

He sighed. "Well, you know my house is out of the question."

Noelle nodded. She was quiet, taking time to enjoy the moment.

A few minutes later, she spoke again. "You said you were going to tell me what happened that morning."

Volodya frowned. "It's complicated." He pulled away, moving to sit crosslegged on the dock, facing her. "The night after that whole thing, apparently he read my suicide note, so he crawled into bed with me. We wake up the next morning, and--"

"Wait, what was in your suicide note?"

Volodya looked up at her, her eyes following him with curiosity. "Your eyes kind of have like, a red glow to them?"

Noelle laughed. "Yeah, it's another kind of strange...side effect," she concluded. "There's a reason Pierre has those thick glasses."

"Ah," said Volodya. For a second, she thought he had used that to divert from the topic, but he dove back in. "Before that night, I wrote Sam a note, something about how he was the light of my life or some bullshit." He paused. "I know that sounds really shallow, I mean, fuck. It was shallow. But I was going to be dead, so it's not like anyone would know. I just wanted him to have something to make him feel better. Or, maybe I did believe it when I wrote it, like I somehow summoned all my positive feelings towards him and that was the result. "

Noelle said nothing.

"Whatever. So we had that moment, like, you almost died, so we kissed, and that's when his mom called. It was really weird, like she knew I was there but she came in anyway, and that was that. Just started beating on him, yelling, I was able to hold her back long enough for him to get Vincent, and then we got out of there."

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "But you just kissed him?"

"Oh, we were going to do more than that," said Volodya, lying down on the dock with a sigh. His legs partly hung off the edge. "Honestly, it feels so strange now. I guess that's why people hook up with their exes, because you're already past the initial barriers of intimacy before you knew them, so it's easy to be intimate again, even if you know it didn't work out." He sighed. "But back to the story. We were definitely about to fuck; I had his dick out. Oh, and his mom saw that too."

"Did she see you?"

Volodya lifted his head. "Did she see enough to know I'm not cis, is that what you're asking?" He laid it down again. "No. You'll find that cis people don't pay attention enough to notice."

"I noticed you."

Volodya smiled, taking her hand in his. "I know."

"You didn't seemed so surprised when you first saw me as Noelle. Granted, some other things were going on. But could you tell I was trans before I came out?"

"No. You knew you had to hide, so you did. You still do."

A tear fell from Noelle's cheek. She gave his hand a squeeze. He sat up.

"Aww, it's okay," he said, putting his other hand on her shoulder.

"I've had to hide my whole life." Her voice cracked as she choked up with tears.

Volodya hugged her, compassionately rubbing her back.

"I don't know what to tell my family," she continued. "And you, I can't even imagine what you went through, your family kicking you out."

Volodya shrugged. "It sucks that your mom is like that. Treating you like a joke."

Noelle nodded into his shoulder.

"And Maru, I don't know how she'd react. You probably know better than I do. But she was acting weird when she found out about me."

Noelle's eyebrows raised as she pulled away from him in surprise. "She knows about you?"

"Yeah. She had to dress my wounds when I was in the hospital." He gave an awkward laugh. "I know right? Up until yesterday, she had been more intimate with me than you had been."

Noelle breathed a laugh. Looking into the distance, she was thoughtful. "She's never misgendered you when I've heard her talk about you and Sam."

They both shared in the realization.

"Okay, so you've got Maru, or at least, maybe she'll gender you correctly," said Volodya. "You've got Demetrius."

Noelle looked thoughtful, feeling somewhat calmer.

"And you've got your friends, you've got Sam and Elliott. And you've got me."

Noelle breathed a smile. "I'm so glad I have you."

A grin spread across Volodya's face, and he hugged her again.

After some time, she spoke again. "Sometimes I've wondered if this whole thing with Pierre was for the best, like I could just leave town and no one would question it. I always wanted to do that, anyway, to go live in the city. Maybe it would be easier that way, if I didn't have to come out to anyone."

"Maybe," Volodya said quietly. "Although if you leave your family without talking to them, it will always leave you wondering about them. And they'll still wonder about you, perpetually trying to contact you, and every time the phone rings you wonder if you should answer and what should you tell them." He sighed. "I don't know if that's what it will be like for you. I'm speaking from my own experience."

Noelle looked surprised. "I thought you said they knew, that's why they kicked you out."

"Yeah, and that was my immediate family. Of course they were too ashamed of me to share it with anyone else. That's when I came out to my aunt."

Noelle thought about it for a moment. "I guess that worked out for you."

"It did." He gave a humorless laugh. "We never know who's going to support us, do we?"

Noelle nodded sadly, staring out at the waves. "You know, there's this place a ways out of town I used to go and smoke, think about things. It's a good overlook of the city. I wish I could take you there, if I knew what Pierre did with my motorcycle."

"Wait, hold up," said Volodya. "You have a motorcycle?!"

Noelle nodded. "You didn't know that?"

"What?!" Volodya was thrilled. "You're like, the coolest girl ever."

Noelle smiled at that. "Too cool for you, farmer?"

"Shut up," Volodya laughed. They shared a glance, and quickly, they found their way into another kiss.

A buzzing noise sounded in Volodya's coat pocket.

"Mmm," he said, pulling away from her. "It's probably Sam. Hang on, I have to take this."

Noelle frowned as Volodya took the phone out and answered it.

"Hello?"

The waves sounded in the background.

"Yeah, I'm just out for a walk on the beach. Okay, I'll be home soon, I promise." He hung up with an apologetic expression. "I've got to go."

"Why?" asked Noelle.

Volodya glanced up at her, and they resumed their kiss. At some point, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her away. "I have to go. I have to prove that he can trust me."

Noelle nodded, although not entirely at peace with the idea.

"I'll come visit you tomorrow," he said. He stood up, and then he took one of her hands and squeezed it affectionately.

A smile crossed her face at the idea. "See you tomorrow, then."

Volodya gave an awkward wave, and then walked away, leaving her there, sitting alone on the dock.

***

Volodya knelt down, digging at places in the snow where sprouts broke through the icy surface. With the help of a trowel, he pulled out the winter root vegetables, shaking the dirt loose from them before placing them in a sack he carried with him. As he worked on the farm, he spotted Sam carrying a box out to the tool shed. He set down the sack and jogged up to him.

"Whatcha doing with that?" he asked from mild curiosity as Sam unlatched the door to the outbuilding and carried the box inside.

"Oh," Sam gave a laugh, accompanied by an uneasy smile. "This is some of our old stuff. I was thinking we could put it out here so Vincent doesn't find it by accident."

Volodya pulled the string to turn on the lone, central lightbulb. As Sam held the box, he walked up to him and opened it, pulling out the first dildo he touched. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he said with a laugh.

As Sam found a shelf for the box among the jam jars and bags of fertilizer, Volodya looked around the space.

"You're making this like, the perfect place to hookup," he remarked lightly.

Sam rolled his eyes with a grin. "Don't give me any ideas."

"I'm serious," Volodya said in a joking tone, "Just set down a tarp, light some candles..."

Sam shook his head. "I'm going to head inside, where it's warm," he said, pointing his thumbs at the house with a polite smile.

"Yeah," said Volodya, closing the door to the shed as he left after Sam. He latched the door and returned to his farm work.

***

It was late at night as Noelle lay on the floor of that shed, surrounded by old quilts and candlelight, her lover taking care of her nether regions with his lips.

 

"How was that?" he whispered.

She swallowed, gasping for air. "I would die for you."

That made Volodya laugh. "I know you can't die, but it's a nice sentiment."

He kissed her cheek again, and then laid down to rest, wrapping up in a blanket.

"Is it cold out here?" she asked.

"It's not so bad. My werewolf blood keeps me warm," he explained, pulling a pillow under his head. With his eyes closed, he breathed a smile. "Hugging you is a bit like hugging an icicle."

Noelle lied down next to him, gazing up at the roof. With one hand, she idly played with the pendant on her chest.

"Maybe this is a weird question," she began.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want any of my old clothes?" She frowned. "I don't know what else to do with them."

"Noelle." Volodya took her hand and brought it towards him, gently kissing her knuckles. She turned her head and glanced at him. "I don't want to wear the clothes you wore when you were depressed."

It felt comforting to hear him say that. For once, she had been understood. "That makes sense."

"Although..." He thought to himself for a moment and breathed a laugh. "I wouldn't mind having your old sweatshirt for laughs."

She smiled at the absurd thought of seeing him in her signature article of clothing. "It's too bad. You ripped it to shreds when you killed me, remember?"

"Ah, that's right," he said, rolling onto his back and rubbing his face. "I forgot."

They both laughed at that.

"It'd be nice to go shopping in the city," said Noelle. She laughed to herself. "I don't know how I became Haley all of a sudden."

Volodya giggled. "You're a lesbian in a straight relationship, so you're definitely Haley."

Noelle cracked up at at that.

"The city's alright," said Volodya. "There's a couple good places to go thrift shopping. I always hit them up when I'm in town."

They stayed there for some time, and when she thought he was asleep, she heard him ask, "What are you thinking about?"

Her fingers played with his. "I'm wondering what my family would think if I ever brought a guy home."

She heard Volodya chuckle, and she smiled.

"They can't say you're gay when you look like that," Volodya murmured.

Noelle felt warm as he gently kissed her neck. "Thanks. Although there's nothing wrong with being gay."

"You're beautiful," Volodya said sleepily. Noelle didn't know what to say, so she interlaced her fingers in his. Meanwhile, he took a deep breath as his nose touched the back of her neck. "Your hair smells nice."

"Thanks, I started using some of Elliott's shampoo. They're the one with the beautiful hair." She was silent for a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, Volodya?"

There was no answer. She stirred gently to look back at him, and he was fast asleep. She got up, blew out the candles, and quietly returned to his arms without waking him.

***

Slivers of light crept into the shed from the outside as Volodya woke up, suddenly shivering in the cold. He sat up, and he felt someone pull a blanket around him.

"Thanks," he said, although when he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Noelle sitting in front of him.

He glanced around the interior of the shed. Scratching the back of his neck as he remembered the night before, he asked, "Did we accidentally fall asleep together?"

Noelle pulled on her sweater and laughed. "You fell asleep. I don't sleep." She lifted her neck to kiss him on the forehead, and he stood there watching as she gathered the rest of her belongings. Giving one last wave, she gave her goodbye. "Call me."

He smiled at that, and in an instant, she was gone, as though the whole night had been a dream.

Once he had sufficiently dressed himself, gathered the blankets, he headed for the house, his pillow under one arm. When he entered the the house, Sam approached him from where he had been watching from the front window.

"Did you just spend the night out in the shed?"

"I needed some alone time," said Volodya, not looking up as he tossed the pillow on the couch and went into the kitchen to pour himself some cereal.

Sam laughed. "Do I want to know what you mean by that?"

"Nope."

 


	23. Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be another update following this one. Also, I'm lowkey highkey considering removing the explicit content from previous chapters? haha

It was a sunny winter afternoon as Vincent hopped off the bus, his backpack hanging askew off one shoulder and his lunchbox in his other hand. 

"It's the farmer!" he called, running towards him as the bus pulled away from the stop.

"Hey, kiddo," said Volodya, surprised as Vincent unexpectedly gave him a hug. "How was your first day of sixth grade?"

"It was good," Vincent said melodically, slinging the other strap of his backpack over his shoulder. "I made so many new friends!"

"That's good," said Volodya as they began to walk back towards the farm. "Speaking of friends, where's Jasmine?"

"Oh," said Vincent, swinging his lunchbox as he walked. "She's not supposed to start until after winter break. I bet she's jealous, 'cause she has to stay home."

"I bet," Volodya said with a smile. 

When they reached the house, Vincent quickly dropped his bag on the floor and went to sit on the couch and watch TV. 

"Hey, don't you have homework?" Volodya called, laughing when Vincent gave a defiant "No!" in response. 

The door to the master bedroom opened, and Sam appeared, looking sleepy and dressed in sweats. 

"Hey, Vince, how was school?" he asked, passing by the couch. 

"Good," his brother's voice rang back.

"Hey, I thought you had work?" Volodya said softly as Sam approached him. 

"I wasn't feeling well, so I called in sick."

"Okay," Volodya said calmly, although surprised. "Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah." Sam rubbed his nose. "Can I talk to you in the other room?"

They entered the bedroom and closed the door. Sam handed him a piece of paper. 

"This came out of the fireplace this morning."

Volodya read the note. "'Conflict with Pierre has been resolved. Come by the tower at midnight to see Abigail. Will update further information in person. -W.' Sounds cryptic."

"I know." Sam sat down on the foot of the bed. "We should tell Noelle."

Volodya folded his arms, lost in thought. "Do you think she's okay?"

"Noelle? I haven't talked to her in awhile."

"I mean Abigail."

Sam's eyes met his, and he shrugged. "I hope so." He put on a brave face. "If she's with the wizard, she's probably alright."

Volodya nodded. "Are you okay to go visit them? How are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine." He stared down at the carpet. "It was more of a mental health day. I'm kind of going through some things."

"Yeah," said Volodya, sitting next to him on the bed. He frowned, lowering his voice. "Have you been crying?"

Sam closed his eyes tightly. "I just..." He tried to fight back, but the tears began to fall again. Volodya gave him a hug, which he gratefully accepted.

"I'm glad you're here for me," said Sam after he pulled away. He took Volodya's hand. 

"Yes." Volodya patted the top of Sam's hand. "As a friend."

Sam slowly retracted his hands and nodded. "I didn't want to cry in front of my brother," he said, wiping his face. "I have to be strong for him."

"No you don't. The thing with your mom? No one should have to go through that." Volodya looked concerned. "And Vincent's dealing with the same things. Why should you have to pretend like everything's okay when it's not?"

Sam frowned. "I have to be the tough one. That's what my dad always taught me. Maybe you don't understand because you weren't raised as a guy."

Volodya took a deep breath. He found his face in the palms of his hands, and after awhile, he stood up with a particularly sober expression. "Okay."

"Wait, I'm sorry," Sam called as Volodya stepped closer to the door. "I shouldn't have said that." 

Volodya turned around, still not meeting his gaze, his expression blank. 

Sam stood up. He placed his hands on Volodya's arms. "I'll talk to Vincent, okay? Like you suggested. And later tonight, we'll go meet our friends, and everything can go back to normal."

Volodya didn't answer that, but Sam didn't seem to notice as he went to open the bedroom door. "Vincent?"

His little brother looked over back of the couch. "Hi, Sam!" he called as his brother moved to sit next to him on the couch. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I mean no." Sam wiped another tear from his cheek. "But what I meant to ask is, are you okay?"

"I guess so," said Vincent. He moved closer to Sam on the couch. "I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Will I ever see Miss Penny again?"

"I don't know," said Sam. "Things are going to be different for awhile. Did you have a good first day at school?"

"It was good," Vincent responded with a positive tone. "Can I have some money for lunch? The other kids get to drink chocolate milk every day."

Sam laughed. "Sure. But you aren't upset about anything? About not seeing mom?"

Vincent frowned. "I was at first. But I like it better over here. She's not always getting mad at me because I didn't make my bed."

"That's true," said Sam. 

Vincent gave him a hug. "It's okay, Sam. Farmer Volodya's really nice. He's not going to yell at you like mom does."

Sam glanced over to Volodya, who was watching from the other side of the room with his arms folded. "You're right. He is nice."

Volodya covered his face, hiding his surprise. "I'm just going to start on dinner," he said quietly, quickly heading for the kitchen. 

"I'm glad you feel safe here," Sam told his brother. "I want you to know it's okay to be upset. I'm going to take care of you."

"I can take care of myself," Vincent boasted.

"You're very responsible," Sam remarked. "But you're still just a kid. It's okay to need help."

"Okay," Vincent said, looking away. His eyes lit up. "Can you do my homework for me?"

Sam grinned and gave him a pat on the back. "Kid, I don't want to do your homework any more than you do." He caught Volodya giving him a suspicious look. "But let's take a look at it. Maybe I can help you out."

***

Volodya shivered as he knocked on the door to the wizard tower. The door opened before his third knock.

He heard the wizard's voice. "Come in."

He entered, and the door shut behind him. Inside, the wizard was sitting at a table in front of the fire, accompanied by Abigail, who was wrapped in a blanket. She set down her tea and look up. 

"Oh! It's the farmer!" 

"Hi Abigail," he answered warmly. "It's good to see you again."

He stood by the table, and she waited a few seconds before standing up, and they shared a cordial hug. He sat down next to her, and the wizard poured him some tea. 

"Thank you," he said. 

"Where are Sam and Sebastian?" she asked. "Did you tell them I'm here?"

"Sam got the note," Volodya explained. "He went over to tell--" he stopped himself mid-sentence. "Yes, they're coming."

Abigail nodded, unusually quiet. 

Volodya took a sip of tea and turned towards the wizard. "So, you said Pierre is gone? What happened?"

"Yes, he's currently in official custody awaiting his trial. But I'll wait until your friends are here to explain in detail."

"Sure." He stared down at his cup. Suddenly, he felt his phone in his pocket. Pulling it out, he could see Sam was calling. "Hello?" he answered. 

"We've got a problem," said Sam. "Noelle doesn't want to go."

"Okay," Volodya said calmly. "Why not?"

"She said she doesn't want to come out to Abigail."

"Well, that's okay," said Volodya. 

"So what do we do?"

"Hang on," said Volodya, quickly excusing himself from the table to take the call outside. 

"If Noelle doesn't feel safe, she doesn't have to come," he said, once safely outdoors. 

"I don't understand why, like Abigail's already seen her, and of course Abigail's her friend, she's going to support her. I thought maybe you could talk to her."

"Sam, I'm not going to try to convince her to do something she doesn't want to do." He rubbed his face. "But sure, put her on the phone."

"Okay." 

There was a pause as the phone changed hands. 

"Volodya?"

"Hey," he said, feeling lighter at the sound of her voice. "Hey," he repeated.

"Um, Sam, is it okay if I can go outside?" She didn't wait for his response before she opened the door. "Okay, calm down, I don't know if Sam can hear us."

"This was such a bad idea," said Volodya, and she fell victim to his infectious laughter. 

"This was the worst idea," she agreed. "So what, are you going to tell me to walk on over there?"

"Hang on, let me send you some kisses through the phone while Sam's not there--"

"Stop it," she said, grinning as she heard him make kissy noises on the other end. "Shut up! You're such a dumbass."

Volodya was sentimental. "Aww, you're being a bitch again. I love it."

He heard a noise in the background, the sound of the front door opening. 

"Noelle, are you okay?" Sam called in earnest.

"I'm fine," Volodya heard her say clearly. 

There was a pause of hesitation before the door sounded closed again. 

"Okay, so what were you going to tell me?" she said pointedly. "Anything?"

"Nothing, I told Sam there was nothing I could say to you to make it less of a crappy situation."

"Oh." She sounded noticeably calmer at that. 

"Maybe it makes sense if you don't come over at all," said Volodya. "I don't know if it's going to be awkward for us to be there together in a friend setting."

"You think so? I think I should have won an Oscar for all the times Abigail made shitty comments about 'man up' and 'don't be a pussy,' and I didn't say anything. And you were there, too! Where's your Oscar?"

"You're right," Volodya howled with laughter. "Honestly."

"I do want to see her, though," Noelle lamented. "See if she's okay."

"That and you have a crush on her."

"Stop!" she said as he heard him laugh on the other end. 

"I think it's cute," he said. "A little problematic fave."

"Yeah, so what should I do?" she said, exasperated. "I don't want to come out to her!"

"Well, she's your friend, so you know her better than I do. I'd say however you think she's going to react to you coming out to her is probably how she's going to react."

Noelle was thoughtful for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay? So in that case, what do you want to do?"

She was silent as she considered her options. After taking one look back at the front door to Elliott's house, she turned towards the beach again. "Fuck it. I'll come over."

"Really?" Volodya said in surprise. "You think she's going to respond well?"

"Not at all. I just don't give a shit. This is me, and she can deal with it."

"Fuck yeah! I mean, wait, what do I do?"

"You stay there." She started walking towards the house.

"Okay." He paused. "See you in a bit."

"Okay, bye." She hung up and handed the phone to Sam. "Let's go."

***

Volodya, Abigail, and the Wizard continued to sit around the table, awkwardly making conversation. 

"So, Sam and Sebastian are actually coming?" Abigail said doubtfully.

"Yes," said Volodya, his hands clasped as they rested on the table. 

Abigail gave a laugh. "Okay. It's weird, the last time I saw Sebastian, he looked different. It was almost like he was dressed like a girl--"

She looked up as there was a knock on the door. The wizard waved his hand and opened it from afar.

"Come in!" he called. 

Sam entered first, running to Abigail upon first sight. She stood up to give him a hug, which gave some time for Noelle to stand there awkwardly next to them. 

"Sebastian," Abigail said, looking at her in surprise. 

"Hi, Abigail," she said calmly, although Volodya could see her shaking slightly. 

"Do you want to sit down?" he said. 

She nodded, and sat next to him, at the fourth side of the table between him and the wizard. Sam pulled up a chair, squeezing his elbows in between Noelle and Volodya as he leaned onto the table. 

"So what happened?" Sam asked her. "Did your dad take you to that bunker thing?"

"Yes, so..." she paused, focusing on Noelle again. "You're really not going to tell me what's going on with this? Why you're dressed like a girl?"  
Noelle blinked. Her voice got smaller. "I am a girl. I go by Noelle, now. I'm trans."

"You're trans?" Abigail said in a voice that was much louder by comparison. 

"-gender," Noelle clarified, as though clarification were needed. 

Abigail folded her arms, a defiant look on her face. "No, Sebastian, you can't just put on a dress and turn into a girl."

Sam began to stand up. "Okay, first of all, her name's Noelle. And second--"

Volodya placed a hand on his arm. "Okay, calm down."

"But why?" Sam, overturning his palms at her as he sat down. "She's being so rude!"

The fire burst into a bright green flame in the corner. The wizard stood up, moving to his enchantment circle. "I need to go check on something. I'll leave you kids to...catch up." With that, he disappeared.

Abigail kept her stance. "You're being delusional if you think you can just start referring to him as 'her' like anything's changed."

"I don't see how anything's changed," Volodya interjected. "Noelle, do you feel like a different person?"

"Not really," said Noelle with a shrug. "At least I feel better in that like, I don't have to be a boy anymore."

"What are you talking about?" said Abigail, looking at Volodya with disgust as he removed his coat. "So it's that 'girl trapped in a boy's body' bullshit I've heard on the news?"

"I kind of feel that way," said Volodya. "Like I was trying to be a girl for so long, and it just didn't work out." He pulled off his shirt.

Abigail's brow furrowed. "What are those scars?" she asked, pointing. "Those are from Pierre?"

Volodya took a sip of his tea. "I don't know why the media makes it seem like transition happens all at once. Like, maybe I got surgery to make me feel better, but why do I need surgery to be a 'real man'? I think what people are really asking is when am I going to get the surgery that makes me cis, and there's no surgery that will do that."

"What's 'cis'?" Abigail interjected. 

"Cis is people who aren't trans," Volodya quietly explained. 

Noelle looked thoughtful. "You're right, like, I'll always be trans. People might say I 'used to be a boy,' but I was always a trans girl, and I always will be. It doesn't make sense to say that I used to be a cis boy, or that I'm now a cis girl. Like you pass," she said, and Volodya gave a nod, "You pass, but you're still trans."

"Yeah, like I'm not suddenly a cis person just because I pass," said Volodya. "It's not like I graduated from the trans academy with a 4.0 in passing/stealth, so I'm done with being trans and can go on living as a 'normal' person."

Noelle laughed. Meanwhile, Abigail had calmed down from her earlier statements enough to make the connection. 

"Volodya, you're trans?"

He nodded. "I meant to explain, these scars are from when I had top surgery about five years ago."

Abigail frowned. "Top surgery?"

"To have my breasts removed."

"Okay," Sam interjected, giving an uneasy smile. "I think you can put your shirt back on now."

Volodya glanced at him sideways while taking another sip of tea. 

Noelle pulled out the pendant of her necklace and looked through it. She laughed in amusement. "Volodya, it looks like you're the only one sitting at the table." 

"Wait, really?" The farmer set down his tea. "Let me see!"

Noelle held out the chain, which didn't stretch very far from her neck. She tried to undo the clasp, but she struggled. 

Volodya considered helping her, brushing her hair aside and touching the delicate chain around her neck. He was instantly reminded of the beach and decided against it. "Actually, I don't need to see, it's fine." 

"If you're trans," Abigail said to Volodya as he put his shirt back on, "why didn't you tell any of us before?" She turned to Sam. "Did you know?"

"Yeah?" He flashed an apologetic smile, but quickly avoided her gaze. 

Volodya calmly continued. "The reason I didn't tell you is probably the same reason Noelle, who's known you much longer than I have, didn't tell you."

"That's right," said Abigail, turning to Noelle. "You're like my best friend. Doesn't that seem like something I should know?"

"I'm telling you now," said Noelle. "It's something very personal about me. Until a couple months ago, literally no one knew about it."

"Well, okay!" Abigail said, sitting back in her chair, looking exhausted. "Is there anything else you want to tell me while you're at it?"

Noelle bit her lip. "I'll give you back the makeup I stole from you?"

"Dude!" Abigail's eyes went wide. "That was you?! What the fuck!"

Noelle smiled apologetically. 

"You better give me that back!" Abigail stood up and leaned over the table. "Those MAC lipsticks cost me like, twenty dollars! Each!"

Volodya laughed at her reaction. Meanwhile, somehow Sam was completely silent, unsure what to make of the situation. A flash of light filled the room, and everyone went quiet as the wizard reappeared. 

"Children, come quick. Pierre is on trial with the Arcane Authorities right now, if you want to come watch."

"Come watch where?" asked Sam. "Like on TV?"

"In the courtroom. Everyone come stand on the transmutation circle."

The four of them stood up and followed him to the runes carved on the floor. He disappeared right in front of Sam, who jumped at the scene of the wizard's disembodied hand sticking out through a tear in the space-time continuum. 

"Take my hand, and I'll pull you through," the wizards voice echoed in explanation. "In fact, everybody needs to hold hands, and let's go."

Sam reluctantly took the wizards hand. Abigail took Sam's other hand, and turned around to reluctantly take Noelle's hand. Noelle looked back to Volodya, who also hesitated before clasping her hand tightly. In an instant, they were sucked into the tear, and light swirled around them before they found themselves falling onto a hard marble surface. 

"Where are we?" asked Abigail, standing up to brush off her dress. The shiny marble floor reflected the glowing jeweled stalactites that hung several meters from the ceiling. 

"The Authority headquarters is entirely underground," the wizard explained, ushering them over to a guarded door. "Come this way, and be respectful. The court is in session."

Abigail and Sam followed him to the doorway, looking around in awe, too busy to notice that Volodya and Noelle were still holding hands. Volodya was also too distracted to notice until Noelle quickly pulled her hand away. 

"Sorry!" he whispered, his voice echoing in the chamber. 

The guard waved them into the courtroom, which was a similar fashion to the lobby. The wizard gestured for the four of them to sit in the back row, and followed Volodya to sit beside him. 

"I haven't been here since I got divorced," he told Volodya, who frowned with a nod. 

Volodya looked up at the judge on her high pedestal. Pierre was seated in a floating cage nearby, his arms tied behind him, and his head focused on the floor the entire time they had been there. The prosecutor was making some case, handing the judge some large color photos. 

"And here are material recreations of the damage done by the defendant, and oh! He's here now," they said, turning their head towards Volodya.   
The farmer looked up, the whole courtroom staring at him. "Me?"

"Yes," said the prosecutor, sweeping towards him. "Mr. Volodya, if I'm pronouncing it correctly."

Volodya blinked. "Close enough."

"Yes, but this is perfect timing. Would you be willing to show the court the damages to your right side incurred by the defendant?"

Volodya turned to the wizard, who gave a sage nod. He moved out so that Volodya could get up. The farmer squeezed past him and walked before the judge, calmly removing his shirt again to reveal the scars. Several creatures in the jury gasped. The judge gave a nod, and Volodya re-dressed. 

"As you can see, the defendant caused serious injury to this man from purely malicious intent," the prosecutor explained, striding before the jury. 

The litigator stepped forward. "Mr. Volodya, can you say for sure that it was this man," he pointed to Pierre, "who injured you? Do you clearly remember it being him, or could it have been someone else?"

"Objection!" called the prosecutor. "Your honor, it has been established that the victim was in a fugue state at the time from his lycanthropy, which is why he was not called as a witness, and it's unnecessary for the litigation to question him at this time."

"Sustained," said the judge. She addressed Volodya to say, "Sir, you may return to your seat."

He nodded and moved to the back again to sit next to the wizard.

"Alright," said the judge, a stack of papers appearing in a cloud of smoke in her hands, "I have received final confirmation of the jury, and the defendant has been found guilty on all charges of kidnapping, including asportation and confinement; extortion, assault, manslaughter, and turning without consent. I sentence you to 100 years restrictive relocation and 100,000 hours of community service." She made a motion with her hand and a chime sounded, ending the court session.

The five of them gathered in the lobby after the hearing as the jurors and other spectators flooded out of the courtroom. 

"What's going to happen next?" Volodya asked. 

"He's basically getting the equivalent of a human life sentence in prison," the wizard explained. "Except he's a vampire, so he'll outlive it. And we don't have funding for prisons so they're going to make him move somewhere else where he'll be under strict supervision."

Noelle was distracted by a display of pamphlets on the wall, one section titled "Info--Vampirism." She picked up a booklet titled, "So You're a Vampire Now," with a cover showing stock images of a woman looking confused and a man dressed in a cheesy vampire halloween costume, baring his fake teeth. 

"Alright, let's head back to the valley," said the wizard, tapping his scepter to open up another wormhole. "Abigail, I don't think they're going to let you talk to your adoptive father again."

She nodded sadly, looking at the floor. "It doesn't matter. He wouldn't even look at me."

Once they were back in the wizard's tower, they returned to sitting around the table, all in their previous spots. It took some long tea-drinking silence before Abigail spoke again. 

"Pierre kidnapped me as soon as I found out he was keeping Seb--I mean Noelle's phone. Later the authorities came and arrested him, turns out the bunker was over a hundred miles out of town and had been sealed for over fifty years, but he was able to get in and out through teleportation. Also, Pierre's not my real father? I guess it always made sense, seeing as we don't look alike at all. Him and my mom were keeping that from me this whole time, which is going to be an awkward conversation when I go back home."

"Wow," said Sam. "But what about Penny?"

"She's been placed in restorative care," said the wizard. "I believe the court consensus was that her memories will be erased to restore her psychiatric state."

"That's crazy," Sam shaking his head. Beside him, Noelle laughed as she flipped through the vampire booklet. "What?"

She pointed to a section, and he smirked. 

"'Gettin' It On From Beyond The Grave: Vampirism and Sexual Health.' Noelle, are you serious?"

Abigail rolled her eyes. "You guys are disgusting. Can you believe this?" she said, turning to Volodya, who said nothing. "Whatever."


	24. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noelle visits family. Family visits Sam.

Abigail, Sam, and Volodya sat together at the feast of the Winter Star. Vincent and Jaz were playing in the snow, and the rest of the townsfolk were eating and talking cheerily.

"What did your mom say?" Sam asked Abigail, his mouth full as he had just taken a bite of chicken.

Abigail picked at her jello salad with a fork. "She was really weird about it. Well, she said she was sorry, but I don't know how 'sorry' is supposed to make up for the fact she lied to me for all those years."

"What's going to happen to the store?" Volodya asked. "Not that I'm only worried because I need to start planning my crops for spring."

"Mom's going to run it," said Abigail. "Don't know how, but she can try. I want to just finish eating so we can go to Elliott's."

Her friends agreed, and they finished their plates and stood up.

"Oh," said Volodya, as they began to head south. "I forgot my presents at the house."

"Sure, we can head back," said Sam, eager to help.

"Actually, I forgot I still need to wrap some of them." Volodya gave an apologetic smile.

"Really?" Abigail said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I'll be quick. You guys go, I'll catch up with you later."

He waved goodbye as they headed to the beach without him. Passing by the town square, Mayor Lewis pulled him aside.

"Farmer! Leaving so soon? I hope you enjoyed the festivities," he said.

"Oh, I'm meeting up with Sam and Abigail at Elliott's in a bit," said Volodya. "We kind of had plans."

"That's nice, I didn't know you were good friends with him," said Lewis.

Volodya nodded. "Yeah, I think they said they were making a pie. Not that you're supposed to know. Otherwise the whole town will want to come over."

"Oh, that's right, I remember seeing his--their post on Facebook, about going by 'they' now. Isn't that interesting?"

Volodya blinked. "I think it's great. Anyway, see you around, Lewis."

"Alright," the mayor said with a jovial laugh. "Take care."

Volodya gave a smile, although walked away feeling quite tired.

***

When Volodya arrived at Elliott's cabin, they gave him a warm greeting and a hug.

Noelle looked up at him and waved as she talked to Sam. He set down the stack of presents on Elliott's desk and sat on the floor next to Abigail. A timer went off in the kitchen.

"Oh!" said Elliott. "That would be the pie," they said, rushing to the oven. The air smelled of sweet spices.

"Do you want some wine?" Abigail asked Volodya, holding up the bottle. He nodded, and she poured some into a plastic cup. "These are all they have."

"I don't mind. Thank you," said Volodya, gratefully taking the cup. He took a sip.

"So are we going to open presents?" Sam said, sitting down next to them.

"You're such a kid," Abigail said with a laugh.

"I thought we were going to eat pie," Volodya said, and Noelle sat down next to him.

"I'm afraid it still has to cool!" Elliott called from the kitchen.

"Okay, Noelle, I'll give you yours first," said Sam, reaching to hand her a festively wrapped package.

She held it up to her ear and shook it, to her friends' amusements. Elliott pulled up a chair to sit between her and Sam.

"Just open it!" Sam said with a grin.

"Fine," said Noelle, peeling back the paper. She gasped in surprise. "Is this the official expansion pack to Solarion Chronicles: The Game?!"

Sam gave a satisfied laugh. "Yep!"

"Thank you!" She moved across the floor to give him a hug.

"This is going to make my gift seem really lame," said Volodya. Everyone laughed.

"So what did you get me, then?" Noelle asked with some interest.

Volodya handed her the box, and she unwrapped it. She gave a laugh before she pulled out a black sweatshirt.

"It's because I ruined your old one," Volodya explained.

"I know why," Noelle laughed. She hugged it to her chest. "Thank you."

"You got her a men's sweatshirt?" Abigail asked skeptically as Noelle gave him a hug.

"Clothing doesn't have a gender, Abigail," Noelle retorted.

"I believe I was about to say that as well," Elliott chimed in, swirling their wine around in their cup.

They all took turns opening each other's presents. Abigail gave Noelle a Sephora giftcard, and was surprised when Noelle had gotten her the same. Noelle got Elliott a mug with literature quotes, and Volodya got them a quill and ink set, the feather coming from one of the ducks on his farm. Afterwards, they sat around eating Elliott's pecan pie.

"You know," Noelle said as she watched them eat, "I kind of want to visit my family."

"You think so?" Sam said with interest. "I bet they miss you a lot. They're probably having dinner without you right now!"

"Yeah, I think I should go visit them," Noelle said thoughtfully. She looked to Volodya with intent. "I want you to come with me."

Volodya raised his eyebrows as he swallowed the last bite of pie. "Me?" he said quietly.

"That's a great idea," said Sam. "I'll come, too. We can all come!"

"No," said Noelle. "I think with too many people it'll be overwhelming."

"Oh," Sam said, his joy dampened.

"Are you out to them?" Abigail asked.

"Demetrius," Noelle answered. She stood up. "I think it's dark enough to go now."

"You want me to come?" Volodya said, shifting his legs around on the floor to stand up. He went to put his dishes in the sink.

"Are you sure?" Sam said, standing up as well. Noelle nodded. "Well, it was good to see you." He gave her a hug goodbye.

"Are you ready to go?" Volodya asked softly.

They crossed the river to avoid walking through town. The festival had cleared out, everyone had gone home to be with their families. The air was quiet, and a light snow began to fall.

"I don't expect you to come out to them," Noelle explained. "I just wanted you to be there."

"I know," said Volodya. They continued north.

"Wait," said Noelle, when they reached the mountains. She began to walk off the road, and he followed her to the edge of the lake.

The scene was so peaceful. As she stood there, he slowly threaded his arms around her waist from behind, and she let him. After a few minutes, she turned around and they kissed, no one around to see them. She looked down, contemplating the moment.

"You got that sweatshirt in your size, didn't you?"

He smirked. "We're the same size."

They both laughed, sharing in another kiss.

She bit her lip. "I kind of don't want to go, now. My mom's just going to be, well, my mom. And Maru?"

"You don't have to go," said Volodya. She nodded. They stayed there another minute, their arms around each other.

Noelle rubbed the side of her face. "Maybe this is wrong to ask, but is it okay if I say you're just a friend?"

Volodya smiled. "Of course."

She took his hand and squeezed it. "Okay," she said, nodding.

With determination, she made her way to the house, Volodya following close behind. She rang the doorbell and stood back, staring blankly at the front of the house. Standing a friendly distance away, Volodya glanced at her as he stood with a friendly distance, and then watched the door with anticipation.

They heard Demetrius's voice from the inside. "I'll get it! Now who could that be?" As he opened the door, dressed in a tacky sweater, he saw Volodya first.

"Ah, it's the farmer! How nice of you to drop by. And who's--"

He froze upon seeing Noelle. An awkward smile crossed her face, and she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hi."

His eyes were wide. "It's good to see you." He stepped outside. "Can I...can I give you a hug?"

She nodded and held out her arms to embrace her step father.

"Do you want to come inside?" he asked. "It's so cold out here."

Noelle and Volodya followed him into the front room and shut the door.

He was quiet when he spoke so as not to attract attention from the other room. "How have you been? I was so relieved when Volodya said that you were okay."

Noelle nodded. "I've just been taking some time, staying with friends."

"That's good," he said. "We were just finishing dinner. Did you want to see your mom and your sister, or--"

"Yeah," Noelle said calmly. "I'll come see them."

"Really?" Demetrius looked pleasantly surprised. "That's great Sab-" He paused. "I've taken to calling you Sabrina. Not to them, of course. I didn't know if we'd ever hear from you again."

Noelle smiled. "It's Noelle."

"Noelle?" A grin spread across his face. "That's nice. Sounds like you."

There was another silence between the three of them as the temperature slowly rose.

"Well, do you want to come on in?" said Demetrius, and they followed him down the hallway to the kitchen, where Robin and Maru were sitting quietly at the table.

"Hey," Demetrius said with a grin as he entered the room. "We have some...visitors."

Robin took one look at Noelle and set down her glass of wine. "This again?"

Maru stood up. "It's good to see you again." she said as her sister approached her. They settled on shaking hands.

"Noelle."

"Noelle?" she frowned in consideration. She smiled. "Okay."

"You know my friend, Volodya?" Noelle said, gesturing to him.

"Of course," said Maru, and she cordially shook his hand.

"Would you like to sit down?" Demetrius offered, and they all sit down at the table, to Robin's mild annoyance.

"How's your boyfriend?" Robin asked, a touch louder than normal speaking voice. Both Noelle and Volodya looked up.

"Dear, is that necessary?" Demetrius said softly.

"No, it's fine," Volodya said calmly after he realized she was talking to him. "We broke up awhile ago. It was around the time that Noelle left, actually."

"Oh," Demetrius's voice faltered. "Sorry to hear that."

Volodya leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, glancing down at the table with a tiny smile. He shook his head.

Noelle cut in. "I never told you, but I didn't mean to leave that night. I was just going to Volodya's to come out to Sam."

"Oh no, I guess he didn't take it well?" Demetrius leaned into the table.

"No," Noelle said, laughing to herself. "It ended up I had to leave for other reasons. That's really all I can tell you."

"So you're gay?" Maru asked, rather abruptly.

"Actually, I'm bi," Noelle said calmly, not really looking at anyone. "But that's not the point. I'm a trans woman."

"I always knew you were soft," said Robin, a harsh grin on her face. "So we'll take you outside, have you chop some wood, toughen you up."

Noelle just laughed. "No, mom, it's not something you can cure. I just am this way."

"Are you sure about that?" Robin said, doubtfully raising an eyebrow. "I've seen you go through phases before. You'll grow out of it."

Noelle shook her head, grinning. "Mom, I'm twenty-six years old. And this isn't something you grow out of."

Robin frowned in an awkward silence.

Demetrius spoke up again. "Are either of you hungry? I can get you a plate."

"No thanks," Volodya said politely. "We just ate."

"No thank you," said Noelle. "Dad."

Demetrius smiled at that. "Well, we're just so glad you came. I'm glad."

"I'm glad, too," said Maru. "It's too quiet around here. Not like it wasn't when you never left the basement. I mean, it's good to see you going out more."

"Well," Noelle tilted her head, "I guess I still don't go outside that much. But it's good to see you, too. Are you still working on that robot?"

"Yeah, I think she'll be finished soon." Maru looked thoughtful. "I still have a few bugs to fix in the programming."

"Maybe I could take a look at it sometime," said Noelle. "It's C++?"

"Okay!" said Maru. "I know that's what you do, but I didn't want to bother you."

"Oh," said Noelle, looking bashful. "I guess I haven't always been friendly towards you. I'm sorry about that."

Maru looked up at her in surprise. "Oh. Well, I appreciate you saying that. No hard feelings, though."

"Okay." Noelle smiled. "I can come over tomorrow night, how's that?"

"Sounds good." The two sisters exchanged pleasant glances.

"So, Demetrius," said Volodya. "How's your report? Did you hear back from the publisher?"

"Oh! Thanks for asking," he said. "It just came back from the first round of peer reviews. I have some edits to make, and then I think it's going to get published."

"Nice! What's it about?"

"Light attenuation in lake algae." He shifted in his chair as he thought. "Would you like to read it?"

"Oh, sure!" said the farmer. "Can you really let me do that?"

"Of course," said Demetrius. "I can email you the link to the draft, just as long as you don't redistribute it before it's published."

Volodya nodded. "Okay, sounds interesting."

At this point, Robin had all but exited from the conversation, resigned to drinking wine in silence.

After they said their warm goodbyes, Noelle and Volodya left out the front door.

"I'll walk you home," Noelle told him. "After all, I hear there's a wild animal on the loose."

Volodya laughed at that. "Okay, because also I need you to lead the way. I can't see in the dark."

"I was thinking about that," said Noelle. "You can see better as a werewolf? Could you transform just your eyes?"

Volodya closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, they were an eerie milky white.

"Wow!" he said, looking around. He placed a hand on her arm affectionately. "You're so smart."

They began down the country road leading to the farm. A light snow continued to fall.

"So that wasn't bad at all," said Volodya, feeling positive.

"No," Noelle agreed. "Just my mom."

Volodya gave a laugh. "'Go chop some wood,' I'll have to remember that one. And you were so badass! Like 'this is the way I am'?"

Noelle smiled. "I know, right? I just feel like...like I'm done with all the bullshit."

She stopped and took Volodya's hands. "You know I couldn't have done that without you there?"

"I bet you could have," he said softly, looking down at her hands. "You're a strong person, Noelle."

"No, really," she said, her eyelashes brushing snowflakes out of her eyes. "You mean a lot to me."

"Okay," said Volodya, laughing as he stepped away from her, "But you just went in there and faced all this BS like 'you're gay?' and you're like 'no, I'm a beautiful trans woman.'" He spread his arms out as he talked.

"I didn't say beautiful," she clarified, pointing a finger in his face.

"Okay, that was just my interpretation," he said, pushing her hand aside. A grin was permanently tattooed on his face. "I guess you could say I'm in love."

Noelle rolled her eyes, unable to hide a smile. "That much is obvious."

He placed his hands on both her arms. "Noelle, I'm in love with you."

She leaned in, and their lips met, kissing as snowflakes landed on their hair and shoulders.

"Is this where it happened?" he whispered as they stood there, their arms around each other.

"Just about," she whispered back. "I don't remember exactly because I was grabbed from behind."

He was thoughtful. "What do you think would have happened if I hadn't turned that night? Or if Pierre hadn't...if nothing happened that night?"

"I don't know." Noelle leaned her head over his shoulder. "I would have told Sam. How long would it have been until you found out? And would you and Sam still be together?"

"Maybe." He gave a laugh. "I'd still be stuck with his shit. Wait, I'm still stuck with him now. Dammit!"

"Why do you have to take care of him?" said Noelle. "He's not your responsibility."

"I know, but he has nowhere else to go." Volodya sighed. "We may not be dating, but I still care about him. And Vincent."

Noelle nodded, rubbing his back. They continued walking to the house.

"I guess this is it," said Volodya, stepping up the front porch. The lights in the living room were on. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," she agreed, following him to the front door. She looked in the front windows to see if she could see Sam, debating if she could get another kiss in before she left--

"There you are!" Sam said, opening the front door. He took one look at Volodya and the blood drained from his face.

"What?" Volodya said, raising an eyebrow.

"Your...eyes." Sam looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Right," Volodya said, blinking back to his normal human vision. "I was just trying to see better in the dark."

"Okay, good." He gave Volodya a hug. "I was worried when it started to get late."

"Yes, I'm fine," Volodya said with what he hoped was a not-so-visible sigh.

Sam turned to Noelle with a grin. "I knew he'd be fine with you there to look after him." He gave her a hug, too. "You're always a good friend."

"No problem," she said quietly.

"So how'd it go?" he asked, his hands on his hips expectantly.

Noelle looked to Volodya, who nodded for her to explain.

"Demetrius was chill, my mom was...less chill, Maru was chill."

"That's good," said Sam. "So they were supportive, overall?"

"Yep." Noelle held her arm behind her back.

"Well, Volodya, you better come inside; it's so cold out there. It's good to see you, Noelle."

She waved quickly and disappeared before Volodya could say anything.

Sam looked to Volodya and smiled. "She hasn't changed a bit."

***

"Hello?"

"Noelle, come over."

"You know I can't," she said with a laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She glanced over at Elliott, who was sitting at their writing desk as usual.

"Sam's at work. Vincent's spending the day at Marnie's. It's cloudy out. Come over."

"People will see me!" she said, although amused by the idea. "What do you want me to do? Go in disguise?"

"I don't know, isn't there some memory you had at the house?"

"Hmm," she thought for a moment, "I remember that time we tried to have a seance on the floor of the living room, and you scared the shit out of us when you walked in."

Volodya laughed. "Is that what you were trying to do?" He turned around as Noelle appeared in the living room behind him."

"It was all Abigail's idea," she defended as he walked towards her, taking her in his arms and kissing her deeply on the cheek. She kissed his lips back. "Hi."

Some time later, they were lying together in his bed, the bedroom door locked, clothes missing.

"Hmm." Noelle breathed, looking up at the ceiling. "I wonder what Abigail would think if she saw me now."

There was a short silence in the air.

"What do you like about her?" Volodya murmured, running his hand through her hair.

"Really?" She looked up at him with a surprised grin. "You're not going to get jealous?"

"How could I be jealous?"

She laughed at that. "Okay. Well, her hair, obviously. I don't know how she keeps it that beautiful color. And her style is always so effortlessly perfect; I've always admired it. And she's rude sometimes, but she always speaks her mind."

"Aww, that's sweet," said Volodya. "Also, congratulations, you have to be a lesbian because no straight guy would say that and mean it as a compliment."

Noelle laughed. "Thank you."

He settled on clasping his hand in hers. "Did you go to your sister's yesterday?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "It was nice, I just looked over some of her code for her. I feel bad, I was so mean to her over the years. I guess I felt like she got all the attention. Or maybe I was jealous of her. Our parents had different expectations for her."

"What, they didn't make her chop wood to meet her manliness quota?"

They both laughed at that. "No, they did not," Noelle confirmed.

"I have a sister," said Volodya.

"Really?" Noelle asked with interest.

He laughed. "And that's all I have to say on that."

***

It was the first day of spring, and Volodya was up bright and early, ready to start planting the next crops. Dressed in his overalls and work shirt, work boots, and gloves, he opened the door to the early morning sunshine and froze. Standing before him was a middle aged man, his dirty blond hair cut in military style, his shirt tucked neatly into his khakis.

"Oh," Volodya said flatly in realization.

"You must be the farmer," said Kent. He held out his hand. "I'm Kent."

"Volodya," he replied before taking the man's firm handshake. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Kent looked pleasant at that. "Nice to meet you. I know it's early; I'm still on military time. But it looks like you're already up." He grew more awkward as he stood there on the porch. "Are my boys here?"

Volodya leaned back into the house to see Sam slowly rising from the couch, rubbing his eyes.

"Dad?"

"Sam?" Kent called back.

Volodya stepped aside. "Come on in."

Kent entered the home, and Sam slowly approached him, hesitating before giving him a hug.

"Where's Vincent?" Kent asked.

"He's in his room," said Sam, pointing towards the second bedroom door. "He'll be up to leave for school in a bit. Do you want me to get him?"

"No, that's okay," said Kent, waving a hand. He turned to Volodya. "Can we sit down and talk?"

The three of them sat around the kitchen table. Volodya poured Kent a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," he said, drinking it black. He turned to Sam. "So your mother told me what happened, but it didn't make a lot of sense, so I thought I'd ask you." He paused. "Is Volodya your boyfriend?"

Sam stared into his coffee. Cream and two sugars. He glanced over at Volodya and then back at his father, worry lining his face. "Yeah, dad, we were dating."

Kent leaned in on his elbows. "You WERE dating? So, you broke up?"

Sam glanced at his ex boyfriend, and then back at his coffee. "Yeah."

"Well, either way, your mother said she saw you together, and she thinks she was right to beat you for it, but I just don't agree with that. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, and I'm sorry," he stopped himself, rubbing the side of his face as it turned red, "Damn it, I feel like I've missed out on so much of your life, you and Vince both. For there to be something like this that's such a big part of you, and for me to not know, it's not right. Something like this, I should have known. And the way your mother acted, of course you kept it a secret." He was fighting back tears. "I'm sorry you weren't safe in your own home, that you had to hide. That you had to leave to feel safe again."

Sam burst into tears, nodding.

Kent reached across the table and put a hand on his. "Son, I want you to know that I love you no matter what. No matter who you are, or who you love."

Sam wiped tears as they fell onto his cheeks. Volodya reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"And you," said Kent, addressing Volodya. "You've been so gracious as to let them stay here in your home, keeping them fed, looking after them."

"More like I've been looking after him," Sam said with a laugh. He was about to elaborate, but Volodya shook his head.

"That's great," said Kent. "I've been talking to your mother, and we're still working things out, but in the meantime, I'm glad you've had somewhere else to stay."

"Yeah, dad," said Sam. "Volodya's been great."

The three of them looked up as the door to Vincent's room opened. The kid stood in his pajamas in the doorway, looking sleepy and confused. "Dad?"

Kent stood up. "Hey, Vincent! How have you been?" he said as his son ran to gave him a hug.

"Dad," said Vincent, looking up at him with a worried expression. "Is Sam in trouble for being gay?"

"No, Sam's not in trouble," Kent said with a laugh. He knelt down to look Vincent in the eye. "I know things have happened since I wasn't around to look after you, but I'm here, and that's going to change. Now, go get ready for school."

Vincent nodded and ran back into his room.

Kent turned back to Sam and Volodya. "I want to see about you and Vincent moving back in with me and your mom. Well, Vincent, for sure. As for you, I know you're a grown man, and maybe you don't even see that as an option, but I want you to know our door is always open." He put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Okay?"

Sam gave a polite smile. "Thanks, dad."

***

It was about noon when Volodya returned to the house for lunch. He was surprised to see that Sam had already cooked a stir fry.

"I know you've been working hard out there, so I wanted to help you out," he said. "What do you want to drink?"

"Oh, um, water's fine," Volodya said as he sat down at the table. "Thank you."

Sam served him a plate and a glass of water, and then returned from the kitchen with his own meal and a can of cola. He took a bite, and Volodya began to dig in.

"So," Sam said, his mouth partially full. "This morning went really well, don't you think?"

Volodya washed his food down with a gulp of water. "I know. Were you expecting him to be that supportive?"

"Not at all." Sam looked wistful. "I think it was good for him to see that me and Vince were okay without him."

Volodya said nothing, just kept eating.

"I've been thinking," said Sam. "I want him to see how happy I am. Here on the farm."

He placed a hand on Volodya's wrist, and the farmer stopped eating to look up at him.

"Volodya," he said, "I know you've been lonely. I've been lonely, too. It's what we both want, isn't it? To get back together?"

Volodya's face fell. He retracted his hand. "Sam..."

"I want to move back to the farm. For good this time. I know I left before because of your whole werewolf thing. But the wizard fixed that."

"...Sam..."

"And you're so great with Vincent? I was thinking, if we get back together, we can prove to my dad how well we've been taking care of him, maybe convince him to let him stay with us on the farm."

"..."

"So what's wrong, then?" Sam asked. "Don't you think that's the obvious thing we need to do?"

Volodya grimaced. "Sam, you know that's not how it works."

"Why?" said Sam, giving a defensive pout. "You want me and my brother to move back in with my mom? The one who hit me?"

"No, I don't," said Volodya. "But what does that have to do with us needing to get back together?"

"It's just easier that way," Sam said, his expression turning to pleading. He took Volodya's hand again. "What reason could you possibly have for us not to?"

"I don't need a reason," said Volodya. "That's how love works."

"Really? So you just want to live out here alone, in the middle of nowhere?"

Volodya looked away, otherwise, unable to move. "I'm seeing someone."

Sam was utterly taken aback. "What do you mean, you're seeing someone?" he asked, his voice quieter in confusion.

Volodya folded his arms. "It means exactly what it means. I'm seeing someone."

Sam clutched his head in his hands. "Who is he?" he said finally, his hands clasped together on the table in a sort of interrogation. When Volodya didn't answer, he frowned. "Is it Alex?"

Volodya laughed. "No."

Another awkward silence permeated the air between them.

"Look," said Volodya. "You don't want to know any more about it, so it's best if you just let it go."

"How long?"

"What?" Volodya said, caught off guard.

"How long has this been going on?" Sam's voice was tense.

"Like I said, do you really want to know?" Volodya said, leaning forward. When Sam didn't answer, he said, "It was after you moved back in."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Sam watched in disbelief as Volodya stood up to put his dishes in the sink. He rinsed off his hands and headed for the front door.

"Noelle was right."

Volodya stopped to turn around, his hand on the doorknob. "What was that?"

"Noelle and Abi, they were right," he said. "That time Penny disappeared, and you were out of town. They were sure you were cheating on me. I kept telling them I knew you, and there was no way you would do something like that. I guess I was wrong."

Volodya didn't look back at him or say anything, just opened the door and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the future Sam describes, the one where he and Volodya live as a cute gay couple on a farm while acting as surrogate parents to Sam's kid brother, was REAL close to being the ending of this fic. But then Noelle happened and my sexuality was thrown into question and everything's changed :p
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone, and see you next week with another update!
> 
> EDIT: Next update will not be until next Sunday (4/28) bc I was out of town and then started a new job so life happens? Thanks for being patient and see y'all on Sun!


	25. Sunshine

"Okay, did you get everything out your room?"

Vincent nodded, swinging his legs as he sat with his backpack on the counter in the kitchen, playing on his gameboy.

"Just a minute," said Sam, and he went into the bedroom to check the closet again. 

When he returned, Vincent had hopped off the counter to pet the cat. "'Bye, 'Berry." Strawberry affectionately accepted his contact. He looked up at Sam. "Will we get to see her again?"

"We'll come visit again. We're just going to go live with mom and dad again."

"Oh!" said Vincent, standing up suddenly. "I forgot something." He dropped his backpack and ran back into his room. 

In the quietness of the room, he heard a phone buzz on the counter. Stepping towards it, he saw it was Volodya's. Looking around the empty room, he picked it up. The screen asked for a passcode, and he quickly set it down again. His curiosity winning out, he picked it up again, and entered his ex-boyfriend's aunt's birthday. 

"Okay! I got it!" Vincent called, coming back into the room. "Let's go!"

Sam looked up, settling on holding the phone behind his back. "That's great, Vince. Give me a minute, and I'll meet you outside."

"Okay," Vincent said, picking up his backpack strap and trailing it out the front door. 

Once in peace again, Sam looked at the phone and read the most recent text, just a meme that Abigail sent to the group chat. He scrolled through the list of conversations, all seemingly mundane stuff. He checked the call list, and his eyes grew wide. Over a dozen calls had been made to one person they both knew, someone who fit the timeline for them to have been together. 

"Sam! Lets's gooo!" Vincent called from the door. 

Sam instantly set the phone back down on the counter. "I'm coming!" he called, and he hurried to pick up his bag and head out. 

***

It was midday on the sunny spring Saturday as Sam and his brother returned to their parents' house. Sam set his bags down by the front door.

"I'm so happy you decided to move back in," said Kent, and Sam gave him a hug. 

"It'll be good for us to be a family again," said Sam, giving him a smile. 

Jodi walked into the room. "Hi Sam," she said. After an moment of silence, she said, "Aren't you going to greet your mother?"

Sam's face was blank. "Hi, mom," he said quietly, and then he quickly picked up his bags again and swiftly carried them to his old room. Jodi took a step after him, but his father put a hand on her arm, and she stayed.

He stepped outside, feeling the warmth on his skin. He remembered what Volodya had said, "Just let it go," but he couldn't. He headed towards the beach.

When he knocked on the door, Elliott answered. "Sam! What a pleasant surprise! Would you like to come in?"

Sam followed them inside, put off by their friendly manner. Elliott poured him some tea, and they sat down in the kitchen. 

"How's life on the farm treating you?" they asked. 

Sam blinked, unsure how to react. "It's good. I mean no, I just moved out. I mean, my dad came back so we're moving back in with him."

"Oh," Elliott said in surprise. "That's good to hear. You're dad's back?"

"Yes." Sam felt awkwardly silent at the course of the conversation. He swallowed before deciding to ask the question he had come up with on the walk over. "Hey, so Volodya said he's seeing someone recently." 

Elliott was unfazed. "Yes?"

Sam furrowed his brow. "Do you know who that could be?"

Elliott took a sip of their tea. "Well, it's Noelle, isn't it?"

Sam nearly snorted his own tea. "Noelle? That's a good one."

"He calls her all the time. They talk for hours," said Elliott, setting down their mug. "I know because he always calls my phone since Noelle's got taken."

Sam frowned. "But they're just friends."

"Have you heard them talk on the phone?" Elliot leaned into the table, a strand of hair hanging in front of their face. 

Sam thought back to the time Noelle wanted to step outside to talk to Volodya. Without him there to hear. "But they've just been talking over the phone?"

"They sometimes go for strolls along the beach at night," said Elliott. "Their relationship must be important, since in the winter, the water is absolutely frigid."

Sam was gravely silent. After a time, he spoke, "If you knew they were dating, why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't see how that's important." Elliott took another sip of their tea. They smiled. "At least, now you know, you can be happy for them. Unless--" their face fell, and they set down their tea in a panic. "It must be. Sam, I believe I've been foolish for not seeing it, but were you and the farmer--"

"Yes!" Sam cried, his hands on the table. "That's the whole point of me coming to talk to you, because I saw he called your phone, I thought he was cheating on me with you!"

"That's what you thought?" Elliott raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Of course not! But I do apologize, I didn't realize you and Volodya were still in a relationship."

"We're not," Sam admitted. "We broke up a few months ago." 

Elliott frowned, taking the fact into consideration. 

He leaned against the wall, feeling depressed. "They're really together, then?"

"I believe so." Elliott's look was one of pity. "Perhaps it's their right, seeing as you've been apart long enough, but it's never quite pleasant to see your ex-partner with someone new."

"But it's not someone new!" Sam countered. "She's known him the whole time I've known him."

"That is...unfortunate," Elliott concurred. 

Sam sat up. "Where is she now?"

Elliott sipped their tea. "I know what you're thinking, and I don't believe it's a wise course of action."

"Are you kidding? They could be meeting right now!" His face grew hot as he thought about it. When he realized where they could be, he stood up. "I'm going to go."

Elliott shook their head as Sam left the cabin. "I wish you well, but 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread.'"

Sam nearly ran as he made his way back to the farm. Birds were chirping as he crossed the brook that circled the edge of the crops leading to the forest, and he approached the old tool shed. He was about to knock on the door, but he paused as he heard voices inside. 

"...I didn't know what to do, so I just told him I'm seeing someone."

"You didn't have to say anything at all!" Noelle's voice calmed down. "I mean, you're right. How long can we really hide it from him?"

"What do you think would happen if he found out?"

"I don't know...it's like both of us betrayed him. We've been sleeping together."

"So, what are we, then?" Volodya's voice was quieter.

There was no answer. 

"What do you want? You want to be friends? You want sex?"

"Well, sex, yeah," she said with a giggle. 

Volodya laughed with her. Sam's stomach turned. 

"I like you a lot," she said. "It would be nice if we could keep it a secret, but if it weren't for Sam...I want you to be my boyfriend."

"Really?" He sounded perked up at that. "I want that too. I mean, of course I want you to be my girlfriend. Not that it matters. Us is just us, like we don't need a label to--"

Sam heard them go silent, and he felt empty. He ready to turn on his heel and sullenly return to his house, his feet dragging, until--

"Sam!" 

He was surprised to see Elliott, who had followed him to the farm and was calling to him. He signaled for Elliott to be quiet, but it was too late. 

"Sam," they continued. "Don't go in there. I'm warning you, it's a bad idea."

Noelle and Volodya looked up from where they were sitting together inside the shed, arms wrapped around each other, startled at the sound of voices outside. Volodya placed a firm, comforting hand on her shoulder and stood up. He was wearing her new-old sweatshirt and jeans. She clutched at the sides of her sweater. 

Sam turned his energy to focus on the door. "I know you're in there! I heard everything!"

Elliott approached him, folding their arms. "What do you expect to gain from this?"

"They can't just keep getting away with it!" Sam complained, his face feeling hot. 

Both of them turned as Volodya stepped outside, yawning calmly. "What's going on?"

Sam's eye widened in alert, studying him in his clothed state and turning to confusion. He remembered his words. "Really? You and Noelle?"

Volodya looked away uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. 

"Is she in there?" Elliott asked, watching the awkward exchange.

"Yeah, I mean, no, she probably left." He opened the door a crack to look in to see her looking back at him, and then disappearing. "Yeah, she left." 

Sam was looking more tense. "How could you? With my best friend?"

"It wasn't planned." Volodya was looking particularly sober. "It just sort of happened." 

He rubbed his face, and Sam gently pulled his hand away to examine it. "What is this?" Sam asked, referring to the black polish.

"Oh, Noelle was painting my nails while we were watching Queer Eye," Volodya explained quietly.

Sam bit his lip. "You were just waiting for me to move out, weren't you? So you could move in you're new girlfriend, steal my best friend from me?"

"Not really--I mean, it definitely looks that way." Volodya rubbed his face again. "Look, come by the house later tonight and we can talk about it then; I have some chores to do. Tell Abigail, too, all of you can come."

He began to walk away. 

"This is just like you, running away from your problems!" Sam called after him. 

Elliott put a hand on his shoulder. "Just leave it for now. He said he'd talk later."

***

"It started when I came over to Elliott's one night, after that morning where Sam's mom kicked us out." Volodya told the story as he and Noelle clutched each other's hands on top of the kitchen as Sam, Elliott, and Abigail gathered around. "Actually, I think I came over to bring some cow's blood."

"Speaking of which, did you ever get more?" Noelle asked curiously.

"It's in the fridge."

Her expression lifted and she stood up to cheerfully make her way into the kitchen. 

"You...you hooked up right after that morning?" Sam asked, bewildered. "The morning that we almost hooked up?"

Volodya closed his eyes tightly. "Yes...I mean no, we didn't hook up, we just kissed..." He grimaced at Sam's reaction. "I was mad at you for some reason, and I guess I just wanted to get back at you."

"Oh, he wanted to kill himself, and I wouldn't let him," said Noelle, returning to her seat as she wiped the fresh blood from her lips. "We finally got to sit down and talk for a bit, and for the first time I felt like someone saw me for who I am. With him I just felt so at ease." She took his hand again.

"You're saying that's what kept me tethered to my existence, like some sort of special bond between trans people?" Volodya said quietly, glancing over at her. Their eyes hit each other and they laughed, holding a conversation on some wavelength that was different from everyone else in the room. 

"After that, he kept coming over to Elliott's or calling me on the phone just to talk to me," Noelle explained. "That's really it, we've been together ever since."

Volodya nodded slightly, looking down at the table silently. 

"So you were together over Christmas?" Abigail asked. "Did you even go to Noelle's parents' house, or was that an excuse to just leave and go fuck?"

"Yes, we did actually go," Noelle said with an obvious eye roll. "I just wanted him there for support. My family still doesn't even know we're together."

"Well," said Abigail, laying her hands on table conclusively, "It all makes sense, seeing as how you're a completely different person than I last knew you," she referred to Noelle. "And I don't think it's because you're a vampire, because we all knew you never left the house before."

They all managed a laugh at that.

"I must say, Noelle," Elliott remarked, "Vampirism quite suits you."

Noelle smiled. "I guess so."

Sam still seemed upset. "Did you hook up here? In the house? While I was out?" He paused, his voice more tense when he said, "In our bed?"

"I'm not going to answer that," Volodya said flatly. 

"I thought you hated him," Abigail pointed out. "Noelle, you were always acting weird that he and Sam were in a relationship."

"Oh," said Noelle, suddenly avoiding her gaze. "I don't know why I was like that."

Volodya placed a hand on her arm and leaned in to speak in her ear in a low voice. "Because you were jealous."

Noelle turned to him, grinning. "What? No..."

"Yeah, what did you think while me and Volodya were dating?" Sam chimed in. "Did you think about dating him then?"

"No!" Noelle swept a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean, not that I'm not attracted to you now," she said, glancing up at her boyfriend, "I'm definitely attracted to you."

"So what changed?" Abigail pried. "You don't just become attracted to someone by talking about them."

Volodya glanced at Noelle and saw the look of discomfort hiding in her face. He stood up. "Okay, that's enough personal questions. We've made our point that we're dating, so y'all can go home now."

Abigail frowned. "But--"

"No buts," said Volodya, folding his arms, his voice almost comical in its dramaticism. "No if's and and's, no constructive critiscism, I've had a long day and I want to go to bed." 

"Okay, okay," said Sam, as Volodya shooed him, Abigail and Elliott out the door. He closed the door and turned with a sigh, seeing Noelle stare quietly back at him from where she was sitting. He returned to sit next to her. 

"Thanks," she said. 

He shrugged. "No problem. People don't need to know everything." 

She reached out and hugged him, and he blushed, slowly bringing his arms around her. They moved to cuddle on the couch, quietly ruminating on the day's occurrences. 

"I am attracted to you, I swear," she said. "I think it wasn't until you first came onto me that I realized it."

"That's okay. I know how much stigma you were up against."

There was more silence. 

"Abigail's so rude," she remarked. "I don't know why I ever had a crush on her."

"Sometimes people are pretty on the outside, but on the inside they could be a shit person. Then one day you find someone who's pretty on the inside, and on the outside, and they like you back? I feel so lucky."

Noelle smirked, turning her neck towards him. "You said I was a bitch."

"In only the best ways," Volodya teased, briefly touching his nose to hers. "You're just bad ass sometimes. But she's different, like she's just rude and insensitive. I don't know how to describe it."

"I think I know what you mean," said Noelle, "I'm rude and insensitive, but I'm tasteful about it."

Volodya laughed. "Maybe so. Tasteful for sure. You always have good taste."

Noelle blinked at the unexpected complement. "Thank you."

They lie there for a moment, and she felt him squeeze his arms gently around her, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. 

"Hey, Volodya?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't really want to go back to Elliott's. Do you think I could stay here tomorrow?"

"Of course. Actually, now that Sam's gone, you can stay here whenever you want. You are my girlfriend, after all."

Noelle smiled. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple more scenes planned, but this fic should be wrapping up soon. Thanks for reading, and see you next Sunday!


	26. Spring Rain

"Okay, look up?"

Noelle followed Abigail's instructions as her friend applied make up to her face. She drew her eyeliner with a steady, experienced hand, and then rummaged through her bag of cosmetics on the table.

"It's weird that you need me to do this," Abigail remarked, "You don't even know what you look like."

Noelle shrugged. "Then ask Volodya. I want him to like it."

Abigail turned to where he was lying on the couch, hanging over the arm with his head resting on his elbow. He was wearing a questionably fitting black suit, something from the depths of his closet.

Abigail gave a harsh laugh. "Well, he's been staring at you like that for the past, like, 20 minutes."

Noelle turned to him with an amused look, and he kept his eyes on her, his mouth slightly hung open. He breathed a few laughs.

She laughed. "Is that a yes?"

Abigail rolled her eyes. "We're not even done yet."

Elliott came in the front door of the house, the smells of spring wafting in from the outside. "Although there's a small chance for rain, the flower dance still has no signs of being cancelled. Oh," they said, seeing Abigail's work. "Noelle, you look nice."

"What, want me to do you next?" Abigail said, sarcastically at first, but then she frowned. "I could, if you wanted."

"That's alright," Elliott said with a polite smile and a wave. "I don't want to take up any of your time."

"Not really, tt'll only take a few minutes," said Abigail. "Are you sure?"

"Well..." they brushed their hands against their suit, smoothing some wrinkles. "If you insist."

Abigail smiled with delight and patted the empty chair next to her.

As Elliott sat down, Abigail finished lightly brushing some blush onto Noelle's cheeks. "There. You're done."

Noelle turned again to face Volodya, who stood up. He nodded in approval.

"Okay, I'm going to get my dress," she said quietly, standing up. As she walked towards the bedroom, she stopped turned towards her boyfriend. "Come help me."

Abigail turned to Elliott and rolled her eyes. "Those two."

Once behind closed doors, Noelle changed into the gown, a light blue number with delicate lace overlay. Volodya zipped up the back.

"If I put on the heels, I'll be even taller than you," she said, studying the bottom of the closet.

"Good," said Volodya. "You'll be supermodel height."

Noelle turned to him, more skeptical in response, but his expression was one of unending joy. She stepped towards him, putting her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist.

"You're gorgeous," he said softly. "I can't believe you're my girlfriend."

Noelle smiled. "Um," she looked away, "I'd kiss you but I don't want to mess up my face."

Volodya laughed. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles instead. She smiled at him. She kept her grip on his hand as they returned to the main room.

"Oh, wow," Abigail called as her friend made her appearance. She stood up. "Let's see a spin."

Noelle made a funny face, knowing the idea was silly, but nonetheless lifted her arms for a quick turn. Her skirt whirled around her, and she laughed while Abigail and applauded her. Volodya spun in a similar fashion, even though all that did was raise the hem of his suit-jacket at a funny angle. Noelle was thoroughly entertained.

"Marvelous," remarked Elliott. Abigail had given them some subtle eyeliner and a nude lip. "I think it's cloudy enough that we can take pictures outside now."

The four of them went outside, congregating in the spring air.

"Over here," said Abigail, nearly skipping towards the field. The flowers that Volodya had planted earlier in the season were now in full bloom.

Elliott took her picture as she posed; her dress was a deep blue satin to compliment her hair. When she was satisfied, they switched so that she could take some pictures of Elliott.

"Very majestic," Volodya commented as he watched them, still holding Noelle's hand.

Abigail suggested a group photo, so her, Volodya and Elliott gathered in front of the house while Noelle took the picture of them. "Let's get you and Noelle," Abigail said, half joking.

"Sure." Volodya frowned. "Why not?"

The two of them posed in front of the house, Volodya's hand wrapped around Noelle's waist.

"Say cheese!" Abigail said before taking the picture on her phone, and everyone crowded around her to see the finished result. Volodya was standing in front of the house, smiling, with his hand stretched out in empty air.

"And you can tell Noelle's there because of how happy he looks," Elliott remarked.

Volodya laughed. "You'll have to send me that one."

Abigail grinned. "Done."

"I always hated dressing up for family photos," said Noelle. She placed a hand on Volodya's arm. "You look nice, though."

Volodya smiled, his face fully blushing. "Thanks. Although if you could see how you look, it's not much of a comparison."

Noelle reached and brushed a hair out of his face in silent response.

"You two are somehow even more gross and coupley than when he was with Sam," Abigail said, folding her arms.

Volodya mock-rolled his eyes. "We didn't ask for your opinion, Abigail."

"For the record, I think you two are adorable," Elliott stepped in.

"Thank you, Elliott," Volodya said, giving Abigail a satisfied smirk.

"Whatever!" she grinned. "Anyway, we should probably head out so we don't miss the dance. Volodya, are you coming?"

He turned to Noelle, silently asking for her input, but she shook her head. "Don't worry about me. Go ahead and have fun."

"Are you sure?" He held her hands in front of him, a look of gentle concern on his face.

Noelle bit her lip, glancing over at Abigail and Elliott. She turned back to her boyfriend. "Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course." He looked to his friends. "Go ahead without me. I'll catch up with you later."

"Okay, bye!" Abigail's voice rang out, and she headed down the path to the south. Elliott gave a wave and followed after her.

Volodya followed Noelle as she trailed his hand to the porch front steps, and they sat down.

"What are you thinking about?" he inquired, his voice soft as he rested his elbows on his knees, his gaze resting on her.

"I don't know." She leaned back. "How bad would it be if I went?"

His eyes widened. "Really? You want to go?"

She nodded. "I know I said before that I hate the flower dance, but...things are different now. I want to be there, with you, and I don't want to hide anymore."

Volodya looked down, nodding. "Trans is a lot of hiding, isn't it?"

Noelle swiveled her head around slowly, taking a deep breath. "I know I could go anywhere. I could go on staying in the shadows." Her composure turned to one of resolve. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to go." She stood up.

Volodya watched her, his mouth hung open slightly. He stood up. "Noelle," he said. "You're such a badass."

She looked to him with a grin and took his hand.

When they reached the forest, the townsfolk were carrying on as usual, some of them dancing to the music, talking with plates of food. Pam was nursing a cup by the punch bowl. Mayor Lewis was the first to take notice of them.

"Ah, it's the farmer!" he said, cordially approaching them. "And who is this?" he asked, unaware for a few seconds before the familiarity began to take hold, and his expression slowly changed with the realization.

Noelle gave a polite smile. "Hi, I'm Noelle." She held out her arm which wasn't clasped around Volodya's.

"Noelle," the mayor repeated, shaking her hand. His expression was blank. "Nice to meet you."

Noelle gave a nod, and she and Volodya moved past him towards the field. They turned their gazes toward each other.

"What was that?" she whispered.

"Who the fuck knows," he replied under his breath as they approached Elliott and Abigail, who were talking with Sam by the food table.

"Wow, you came?" said Abigail, looking impressed. "Did Mayor Lewis recognize you?"

Noelle just shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"You look really different," Abigail qualified. "I don't think I would have recognized you."

Volodya glanced around the field. A few of the townspeople had taken notice of the apparent new girl. Haley was definitely gearing to make an introduction.

Meanwhile, Noelle had spotted Maru and gave a wave.

"Hi," her sister said, approaching the group with a look of pleasant surprise. "I didn't think you'd be--it's good to see you."

Noelle blinked. "It's pretty weird to see you in a dress," she remarked quietly.

"Oh," Maru said, looking at her sister's fashion. "I think you're right about that."

Noelle laughed, followed by a few chuckles from her friends around her. She turned to Sam. "What's new with you?"

"Oh, not much." He slipped his hands in his pockets casually. "Well, maybe you heard the news, my parents are getting a divorce."

Noelle looked sympathetic. "That's too bad. Or that's good, right?"

Sam shrugged. "It is what it is. My dad wants her to move out, which is probably for the best. Anyway, I'm going to try to go back to school. It'll good for me to be on my own for awhile."

Noelle nodded. "That's great! I'm sure you'll do well." She let go of her boyfriend for a moment and stepped forwards to give Sam a hug, which was unexpected to him, but he was grateful nonetheless. He smiled at her and gave her arm a squeeze.

"Hey farmer!"

They all turned their heads to see Haley approaching in her usual bubbly manner. Volodya instinctively put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Who's your friend--" Her voice was suspended in air upon seeing Noelle up close. "Sebastian?! Is that really you?"

"Hey," Abigail cut in pointedly. "Leave Noelle alone."

Haley's expression changed. "Oh, sorry!" She looked to Noelle with an apologetic expression. "Um, I like your makeup. How did you get the ombre on your cheeks to look so smooth?"

"Abigail did it, actually," Noelle said quietly.

Haley immediately turned her attention to the girl in the purple hair. "Really?! You have to show me sometime."

Abigail glanced down in thought and returned with a grin. "I'll show you if you'll dance with me."

"Oooh!" Volodya called, covering his mouth in surprise. Elliott, Sam, and Noelle had similar expressions.

Haley laughed. "Dance with you? I..." Her voice trailed off as she spotted Alex on the other side of the field, tossing a gridball to himself. "Okay." She smiled, warming up to the idea. "Why not?"

Abigail just held out her hand, and Haley took it, letting Abigail lead her to the open area where music was playing.

"Sounds like a good idea," said Volodya, and he turned to Noelle with his arm extended. She smiled and took it.

Sam watched his friend and Volodya leave them to go dance, and he sighed. He began walking towards the table with the punch when he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. He turned to see Elliott holding out one arm.

"May I have this dance?" they asked.

"Oh," he said, blinking in surprise at the tall, fashionable person in front of him. He smiled, taking their hand without further hesitation.

When Volodya and Noelle found themselves in the middle of the field, he took her waist, and she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I'll warn you, I'm not very good with the whole coordination thing," she said.

He laughed. "Don't worry. I'll catch you if you fall." She smiled at that.

The music was a slower tempo, and they began to sway along to the rhythm.

"Are you glad you came?" he whispered.

"I think so," she answered. Looking over his shoulder, she saw a few other couples dancing. She caught a glimpse of her parents watching from the sidelines. "I think people are staring at us."

"Yeah," he agreed, turning his head to see the mayor looking at them again, still difficult to read. "Are you okay?"

Noelle pulled back to look him in the eyes. She bit her lip and nodded.

"Okay." He smiled. "Good. I just hope they're not staring because I put ice cream in my back pocket and forgot about it."

"Really?" She immediately reached around him and patted his back pockets to find they were empty.

He grinned.

"Oh." She closed her eyes and retracted her hands, trying not to imagine the looks the other townsfolk were giving them. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

His expression changed. "No! That really happened to me once."

"Really?" she countered. "How do you even put ice cream in your back pocket?"

His eyes widened. "It was an ice cream sandwich, and it was still in the wrapper! I had to go chase one of the animals, and I didn't have anywhere else to put it. I was distracted, okay?"

Noelle covered her face with one hand. She laughed. "Volodya, you're something else, you know that?"

"So are you!" he responded in a teasing manner. "Grabbing my ass like that? In public?"

She smiled. "Yes, and I'll do it again if you're not careful."

Volodya laughed. "Better not, I think your parents are uncomfortable enough." He snuck a glance over her shoulder at the two of them watching in the distance, exchanging a few words. He stopped moving, looking Noelle deeply in her eyes.

"What?" she whispered.

"This is just so perfect. I never thought I'd get to share this moment with you."

Noelle smiled. She bit her lip. "I'd kiss you, but it's weird with my dad watching."

He nodded, and they continued swaying to the music. Upon feeling something touch his shoulder, he paused and stepped back.

"Is it raining?" he wondered, looking up at the sky. Several of the couples around them had done the same thing. As precipitation began to increase in frequency, the dancers slowly left to huddle under the awning covering the food table.

"Are you cold?" Noelle asked as Volodya continued to dance with her, his suit jacket dotted with raindrops.

"No," he replied calmly. "I don't mind staying here."

The music kept playing and they stayed there, long after everyone else had left to seek shelter. Noelle glanced over at them, their attention no longer focused on her. She returned her attention to Volodya, his wet hair plastered to his face. Her makeup was probably ruined now, but she didn't care. Grinning, she leaned in for a kiss, and he eagerly reciprocated. She felt his arms tighten around her, and afterwards, they stayed like that, huddled against each other in the rain.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's pretty much it, thanks for reading everyone--but WAIT! I'm going to write an epilogue. Of COURSE there's an epilogue. So there will be another update next week. See you then!


	27. Epilogue

\- FIVE YEARS LATER -

It was calm inside the house on a summer day, the late afternoon sun providing light to its shady interior. The home was quiet except for a rich piano melody, leading Volodya to the doorway of Noelle's office, where he stopped to watch her play. The shades were drawn, and tall bookshelves lined one wall, a desk supporting a mass of computer equipment against another. A small Victorian-esque couch lined the windows. She finished the song and smiled as Volodya put his arms around her from behind, kissing her gently on the top of her head.

"Hey" she said, reaching up and touching his face gently. She ran her hand along his light beard. "This is nice."

"You like it?" He grinned, taking her hand. "I've been playing around with keeping some scruff." He kissed her gently on the knuckles.

"I only just found out I was playing that song in the wrong key," she explained.

"Really?" He sat down on the couch beside her, leaning his head on his elbow over the arm of the piece of furniture. "I didn't know there was a difference."

She grinned. "Don't you play music? Guitar or something?"

"Yeah, but I'm not actually good at it," he said, rolling onto his back, one arm resting behind his head.

"What time are they coming over?" she asked.

"In about an hour," he said, glancing up at her.

Noelle nodded once before beginning the song again in a slow crescendo.

***

Volodya waved as the taxi pulled up to the bus stop. Nick got out, followed by a very clean-cut man of similar age, perhaps a few years younger.

"It so good to see you," Nick said, giving Volodya a strong hug. A young woman got out of the taxi on the other side.

"You, too," Volodya said, patting him on the back. He pulled away. "You look great."

"Oh," Nick said with a laugh. "You're too kind."

"That's Nick, always too polite to take a compliment," the other man said, laying a hand on Nick's shoulder with a smile. He held out his hand to Volodya. "Hi, I'm David. I think we've met before?"

Volodya warmly shook his hand. "Yeah, briefly. Volodya."

"Nice to see you again, then." David stepped towards the girl, bringing her into the conversation. "This is my daughter, Audrey. She just graduated high school."

"Hi," she said, giving a wave while keeping one hand in the pocket of her jean shorts.

"Nice to meet you," said Volodya. "You're probably heading off to college soon?"

"Yeah," she said quietly without much explanation.

"Audrey got accepted into ZCU with an academic scholarship," her father boasted.

"Wow, congratulations," said Volodya, "I had a friend who went there."

"Oh, Nick, you don't have to do that; I could have gotten it," said David while Nick gave the driver an extra tip.

He waved a hand. "It's no problem. So where are we headed?"

"It's just up the road," said Volodya, "and let me get that." With Audrey's bag already over one shoulder, he picked up the handle to Nick's suitcase.

"It's so beautiful," said David as they began walking down the country road. "Is the air always this crisp?"

"That's the valley," said Volodya with a grin. "It always smells like the sea."

"This is nice," Nick agreed. He gave a laugh. "I should have come out to visit you sooner."

Volodya laughed at that. "In that case, you can come visit anytime."

***

"It's very quaint," David remarked as they entered the house. "I like it."

Noelle came in from the other room. "Hi," she said with a friendly smile.

Volodya set down the suitcases he was carrying and put a hand on her arm. "Noelle, this is David, Nick, and Audrey."

"Hello," she said, shaking David's hand. "Noelle."

"David," he responded. "You have a lovely home."

"Thanks," said Noelle. She turned to his companion. "You must be Nick. I've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," he said, warmly shaking her hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Who's this?" David asked as Strawberry brushed past his feet.

"That's Strawberry," said Volodya.

"Aww," cooed Audrey, and she knelt down to pet the cat, who quickly accepted her attention. "That's such a cute name."

"My ex named her," Volodya explained. He was contemplative. "Then he moved out. And then he moved back in, and then out again. Now I've got his teenage brother who I'm paying to do chores around the farm."

"Look at you, out here creating jobs," Nick remarked. Volodya laughed at that.

"Really though, Volodya's a staple in this community," said Noelle. "You should have seen this place before he got here."

"Is that so?" said Nick, looking impressed.

Volodya knelt down to give Strawberry a scratch on the chin as she passed by him.

"What smells good?" asked David, looking around for the kitchen.

"I have some chicken in the slow cooker to make tacos," said Volodya, moving towards the kitchen. "Let me just set the stuff out, and everyone can help themselves. There's fresh watermelon, too."

Later, they all sat around the table eating dinner and conversing.

Noelle watched them over her empty place mat and glass of water, which she had not touched. "So how long have you two been together?"

David placed a hand on Nick's as it rested on the table. They glanced at each other fondly before he answered. "A few years. Audrey's mother and I separated...it must be about a decade now?"

"On our first date you were saying it was exactly seven years since then," Nick quietly added.

"Oh, that's right!" David smiled. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't finally asked me out."

"You should thank Volodya," said Nick, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "He was the one who said I should go for it."

Volodya grinned as David looked to him. "I was on the phone with him like, 'Just do it, what do you have to lose?' Well, a lot, but," he gave a harsh laugh.

"Remind me again, how do you two know each other?" asked David.

"I was good friends with his aunt, Jeanie, before she passed. She raised him."

"Yeah," said Volodya, swallowing a bite of taco. "Nick's the closest thing to family I have left. Family that I still talk to, I mean."

"Really," David said with concern. "I can't imagine what that's like."

Volodya gave a shrug. "You know how it is."

"Yeah, I..." David's words trailed off as he touched the back of his own neck in thought. "I haven't really come out to my extended family. Obviously I wanted to be up front with my wife and Audrey about why we were separating..."

Noelle glanced over to the girl, who had scarcely said anything all evening, quietly nibbling on a piece of watermelon.

"Are you excited to start school soon?" Volodya asked her. "Do you know what you want to study yet?"

Audrey looked startled when he addressed her, quickly swallowing a bite of watermelon. "Um, I'm thinking p-poly sci," she stammered.

"Audrey was on the debate team at her high school," David interjected. "She's placed in a couple tournaments."

"Nice," said Volodya, while Audrey glanced down at the table. "What kind of issues are you interested in?"

"Um..." her voice trailed off as she focused her vision on her plate. She made eye contact with him again and just shrugged.

"That's okay," he said with a polite smile. He turned his attention to her father. "I got my undergrad in linguistics, but I just worked a boring desk job until I moved out here. And now I grow plants, which has nothing to do with that."

"I remember you were pretty bitter working that job," Nick remarked. "When he inherited the farm, I strongly suggested trying something new."

"I guess it worked out, then," said David, leaning in on his elbows. "Would you say you're pretty content out here?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Volodya said with a satisfied look. He stretched an arm over Noelle's shoulders. "What do you think, Noe?"

"Yeah?" she said with a laugh. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, and as soon as his eyes met her's again, they shared a kiss.

"You two are cute," said David.

"Well, you guys are next," said Volodya with a grin.

The older couple glanced at each other, and Nick placed a hand on David's again.

"Nick doesn't like to kiss in public," David explained with an apologetic smile.

"Call me old fashioned," said Nick, "but I'll leave the PDAs to you kids."

"That's okay," said Volodya. "More for us, then."

***

It was late as Audrey sat on the couch, watching some sitcom on Netflix. Volodya had brought some sheets out and made the couch into a makeshift bed, since David and Nick had taken the guest room. They had all gone to bed hours ago, but she was still up, searching for something else to watch on TV. She felt her phone buzz, and she saw it was a text from her friend. As she went to respond, she nearly jumped as she saw something move past the TV in front of her. She looked around, but the room was almost completely dark.

Noelle turned on the light in the corner. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Audrey reached to pick up her phone from the floor where she had dropped it. "Oh, it's...okay, I just didn't know anyone else was up."

"I'm kind of always up," said Noelle with a polite smile. She hoped Audrey would take it as a joke, and not notice that actually, she never slept. "Do you want the light off?"

"Sure, thanks," said the girl, a bit of hesitation in her voice.

Noelle gave a nod. "If you need anything, I'll be in my office." Without further explanation, she turned off the light and walked away.

Audrey tried to turn her attention back to her friend's texts, but instead she set the phone down and stood up. In the dark, she made her way down the hall towards the other room.

"Hey," she said, knocking on the door frame.

Noelle spun around in her computer chair, wheeling away from whatever programming project she had up on the screen. She switched on a desk lamp. "What's up?"

"Um." Audrey leaned on the frame of her door. She kept her voice low, knowing her dad was sleeping next door. "Do you have a tampon I could borrow? I just got my period, and I forgot to bring any."

Noelle looked thoughtful. "Let me check."

Audrey followed her to the door of a bathroom, watching as she searched through several of the drawers. It seemed to take her some time to check the contents of each one until somehow she came up empty handed.

"Hmm," said Noelle in a sort of puzzled expression. "Let me ask Volodya if he--"

"Volodya?!" Audrey said suddenly in a panicked voice. "Why do you need to tell him?"

Noelle's mouth hung open, and her eyes met the other girl's. The situation became clear to her, and conveniently, she happened to remember seeing some pads tucked in the back corner of her boyfriend's sock drawer. "Excuse me one moment," she said, and clarified, "I won't tell him, I just remembered something."

She slipped into the master bedroom, closing the door behind her. Volodya was in his underwear, on his stomach sprawled across the bed. He was fast asleep, and she smiled at him. She tiptoed past him to the dresser and pulled open the bottom drawer. Behind a mass of unmatched, mixed color socks, she found an opened package of maxi pads. She took it, and while she was stealthily closing the drawer with her foot, something fell out of the hole in the already opened pack and hit the ground with a thud. She looked up to check that Volodya was still fast asleep, always a heavy sleeper. Reaching for the object, she determined it to be a ring box. She opened it, and there it was, rock and all. Her wide eyes flitted back to her boyfriend, who was still sound asleep.

Noelle returned to Audrey, who was grateful for the donation. She retreated to her computer and waited until an hour later, past when she could hear that the TV had turned off in the other room. It was then that she quietly slipped past the living room and back into the bedroom.

"Volodya," she said, shaking his shoulder.

"Wh-what's up?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"What is this?" she asked, holding out the box.

"What's what?" He still had his eyes closed.

"This," she said, turning on the bedside lamp.

He studied the ring as she held it out to him. "Oh, that." He gave a smirk. "You're asking me? Shouldn't you be down on one knee?"

She grinned, rolling her eyes. "You think I'm going to marry a smartass like you?"

He laughed. "Okay, you don't have to. Just, come here and try it on. I just want to see how it looks on you."

"You're unbelievable," she said, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a kiss.

She climbed into bed with him, and they sat together, his arms around her. She let him slide the ring onto her finger.

"Where did you find this anyway?" he asked. "I lost it weeks ago; I couldn't remember where I put it."

She laughed, her hand falling to her face. "In the drawer with your fucking maxi pads."

"Oh." He breathed out some uncontrollable laughter. "I completely forgot. What did you need those for anyway? You're cis now?"

"A cis girl needed to borrow some," she said, speaking quietly in the hopes that no one could hear them from the other room. "If you've had the ring that long, how did you plan to propose?"

"I don't know," he sighed. "I'm not good at this sort of thing. The ritual's not so important as the effect. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Although not the rest of yours, because you'll probably outlive me for a couple thousand years."

"True," she said. She gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't care. I think....I think I want to marry you."

His eyes filled with joy, and they kissed once again. He continued to hold her close to him.

"You know," he said, "I could still propose to you, make a scene in front of everyone tomorrow night at dinner."

"No," she cooed as he laughed. "Please don't."

"Okay, I won't," he said, more serious in tone. "You can think about it."

They lay there for a few minutes, and he began to doze off with her in his arms.

"I know where," she said suddenly with a sense of determination. "I know where I want you to propose to me."

She was surprised as he jumped out of bed and began pulling on some pants. "Well, we have to go now, don't we?"

Noelle laughed. "It's kind of far."

"Nowhere is too far."

"What about your guests?" She folded her arms, an amused look on her face. "You're just going to abandon them?"

"It doesn't matter." He grabbed her shoulders. "How long, Noelle? How many days do I have to leave them here alone?"

Noelle blinked. "It's not that far," she said in a small voice.

He caught her eyes, and they began laughing.

Noelle jumped up from the bed. "Alright, let's go."

***

Once outside, she led him to the old shed, which had become the home for her old motorcycle, which she had taken time to nurse back to health.

"I always get scared riding that thing," Volodya remarked, and she handed him a helmet.

"Like I said, it's not that far. Just put this on and hold on tight." She wiped dust off the seat and stood up the bike.

"Hold on tight," he repeated. "That I can do."

"Good," she said with a grin.

She straddled the motorcycle and motioned for him to climb on behind her. After revving the engine a few times, he was already holding onto her, perhaps out of fear, but mostly just because. And with that, they took off into the night.

It was dark, but Volodya could tell they were leaving the valley. Eventually, they came to a point overlooking the city.

"This is it," she said, stopping the motorcycle.

Volodya removed his helmet and stepped off. "Wow," he said, his mouth drifting open. "That's really pretty at night.

Noelle rushed to his side and clutched at his hand in excitement. "I know."

"How often do you come out here?" he asked, and her expression faded somewhat.

"Not that often. I used to come here more often, just to think about things. I've never brought someone else, though."

"Oh," he said, the tone of his voice changing. He grinned. "In that case, we definitely need to make out while we're here."

Her enthusiasm resumed, and she squeezed his hand as their lips fell into a kiss.

"Where's the ring?" he whispered.

Noelle clutched at her hand, tracing the metal band with her fingers, passing over the inlaid diamonds and sapphires. "I didn't want to take it off. It's too pretty."

He laughed. "I'm glad you like it."

She slipped it off her finger and held it out to him, but he just cradled it with her hand in both of his as he knelt down.

"Noelle," he began, but he couldn't finish as he choked up with giddy laughter, hers following. He breathed and tried again. "Noelle, I--"

"Calm down," she said. He nodded.

"Noelle, I love you so, so much. Please marry me?"

Noelle was speechless for a second. "Okay," she said.

Volodya looked up at her in a rush of emotion. He stood up and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against him.

She laughed when he pulled away. "'Please'? You're so polite."

Volodya just smiled. He helped her slide the ring back on, and then held her hand.

***

Volodya awoke to sunlight touching his face through a gap in the curtains. A familiar pair of arms was wrapped around him.

He rolled over to face Noelle, who was silently watching him. She smiled.

"Do you remember last night?" she whispered.

He took her hand, the one with the ring on it, and nodded.

"I want to tell everyone," she said. "Dinner tonight."

"Okay." He took her hand and kissed it gently. "I've got to go set out breakfast. But I'll be back."

She nodded, watching as he slowly sat up and got out of bed and threw on a t-shirt and some shorts.

In the kitchen, he started a pot of coffee, scrambled some eggs and fried hash browns, set out some freshly cut fruit.

"Good morning," said Nick as he made his way into the kitchen, being careful so as not to wake Audrey, who was still fast asleep on the couch. He looked at the spread of food on the counter in front of him. "This is impressive; we're real getting the full hotel treatment here."

"Oh, this?" Volodya said with a sleepy laugh. "This is almost everyday on the farm."

"You're kidding." He surveyed the kitchen as Volodya poured him a cup of coffee. He noticed the centerpiece on the table. "Fresh flowers, too?"

"No, that's just for when the gays visit," said Volodya. "Y'all can be a tough crowd to impress."

"I hope not," said Nick with a laugh. He took the cup of coffee. "Thank you."

Volodya finished setting out the food. "Help yourself," he said, handing Nick a plate.

They sat down at the table, eating together.

"This reminds me of old times," Volodya said with some nostalgia.

"It does seem like that, doesn't it," said Nick, taking a sip of coffee. "You seem like you're doing well out here, and I'm really glad."

"Farming is like second nature to me at this point," remarked Volodya.

"Sounds like you had talents you didn't even know about," said Nick.

"I guess it's in my blood," said the farmer.

"That's true," Nick said thoughtfully. "How's it going with..." He motioned with his eyes towards the bedroom door.

"Good." Volodya smiled. "Really good."

"So when's the wedding?" Nick asked jokingly.

The blood drained from Volodya's face. "What? How did you know?"

"I only kid," said Nick, lifting a hand in retreat. "Unless you are planning to propose to her?"

Volodya said nothing.

"I think she's good for you," said Nick. "Smart, caring, independent."

Volodya took a sip of his coffee and smiled. "That means a lot, to have your blessing. Thank you."

"Of course."

The two of them looked up as David entered the room.

"What is this?" he said in pleasant surprise. "A full breakfast?"

"Help yourself," said Volodya. He stood up. "I'm going to leave you two; I told Noelle I wouldn't be gone long."  
"Don't let us keep you," said Nick. Volodya gave a nod and picked up his plate.

Once he returned to the bedroom, Noelle was still sitting in bed in her underwear, lost in thought.

"Hey," she said, a smile growing on her face at the sight of him. She watched him undress to match her state of nudity before crawling back into bed. "Good."

"What have you been thinking about?" he asked, picking up his plate to eat the rest of his breakfast in bed.

Noelle rolled on her stomach, playfully kicking her feet as she rested her face on top of her hands in thought. "I want to have a summer wedding. It has to be outside, obviously. And it's just too cold in the winter."

Volodya laughed. "You don't want it to be like your birthday?"

Noelle made a face. "No. Winter's so depressing...although maybe I'm biased from a kidnapping that happened several years ago."

Volodya swallowed a mouthful. "And murder, don't forget that," he said, pointing at her with his fork.

Noelle laughed. "It's like I have two birthdays in a row, my birth and my rebirth." She rolled onto her back. "I used to hate the idea of marriage as an institution, the whole economics behind it. People spend so much on their weddings. I didn't think I would get to be the one to go dress shopping, though." She reached up and placed a hand on his arm. "With you, I've gotten to do everything I never thought I'd be able to do."

Volodya ran a hand through her hair. "I just like having you around."

Noelle blinked with a smile. "You'll have a family. Not just your chosen family, but...you get along so well with my dad and my sister already, but they'll be your dad and sister now, too."

A smile crossed Volodya's face. "I hadn't thought of that."

Noelle grinned. "Your bio family's really missing out."

Volodya wiped his face. "Remember when they came to the farm a couple years ago? What a disaster."

Noelle laughed. "I still remember the look on Ira's face when you told her to go sleep in the barn."

"I was so fed up with them," Volodya laughed. "Just showing up unannounced, pretending like everything was normal. Using my chosen name like that wasn't the first time they'd ever used it in my life. And my parents were real thrilled to see me dating you," he added, setting his finished plate aside.

"But that's us," said Noelle, sitting up with a grin. "We're trans and in love, and it's absolutely disgusting."

Volodya grinned as she leaned in for a kiss. With one hand, he gently brushed her hair behind her neck. She lied back down, and he held her hand in her lap, continuing to stroke her hair.

"Audrey doesn't think I'm trans. You, either. Last night she asked to borrow a tampon."

Volodya raised an eyebrow. "I believe it. You're beautiful by cis standards, but I hope you know you're beautiful by all standards, too."

Noelle breathed a smile, rolling her eyes as she looked up at him. "I didn't tell her. I guess I'm so used to you being the passing one, and everyone in town knew me before. It's nice not to worry what someone thinks of you, they just think of you as a normal person, even if 'normal' has to be cis."

"It's nice sometimes," Volodya said softly. "Although other times it just sucks for me not to be able to be open about who I am. Passing has two sides, I guess."

Noelle glanced up at him. "Is it wrong that I want to keep pretending? I've never had that privilege before."

Volodya shrugged. "What's wrong is how it's not safe for us to just be ourselves."

Noelle frowned and nodded. She let him tighten his arms around her, lean down to kiss her forehead. They stayed like that for awhile.

***

"You can just leave that on the wall," said Volodya.

A sixteen-year-old Vincent hung up a rake as he finished cleaning up the barn.

"Thanks for your help," the farmer said, dusting his hands off. "See you Monday?"

"Why, what's going on tomorrow?" Vincent asked, shifting his cap backwards.

"Ah, I've got some company over," said Volodya, waving a hand. "Speaking of which, I'm having a dinner later if you want to come?"

"Nah, I'm good," said Vincent. "My step mom's making lasagna."

"Well, I can't compete with that," Volodya said with a laugh. He gave a wave as he stepped outside. "Alright, then."

"Wait!" the kid called after him. "I have to ask you something."

Volodya turned to face him. "Sure, what's up?"

"So..." Vincent leaned against the barn door. "There's this girl from my school; I've been talking to her since school got out."

"A girl?" Volodya said with some interest, folding his arms.

"Yeah. Her name's Daphne," Vincent continued, his hands clasped behind his back. "Anyway, I kind of...told her she could come stay with me on the farm next week."

Volodya raised his eyebrows. "I see. And what did your dad say?"

Vincent rolled his eyes. "C'mon, 'Lodya, it's not that big a deal. You know my dad would say 'no' no matter what."

"I know, but if he finds out I let you bring a girl over without telling him, I'm going to be in even worse trouble than you would be," Volodya said with a grin.

Vincent frowned, but didn't argue.

"Look, kiddo, I know it's not what you want to hear. How long have you known her?"

"Awhile," said Vincent. "Almost six months?"

Volodya laughed. "Time is on a different scale at your age, that's for sure." He sighed. "So this Daphne, you think you're at a point in your relationship where she's comfortable coming out here to stay over?"

"Yes," Vincent answered defensively. His voice faltered. "Well, she was being kind of weird about it, which is why I need you to let her stay here so I can convince her it's okay."

Volodya sighed. "If she feels uncomfortable, then you shouldn't be pushing her to do this. Her feelings are important, too. It's a long way to come out here; she probably feels intimidated."

Vincent frowned again, unsure what to say.

Volodya put a hand on his shoulder. "The summer will be over before you know it, and you'll get to see her again. If and when she's ready to spend more time with you."

"Okay," said Vincent. "Thanks, 'Lodya. I'll see you around."

"See ya," said Volodya as the teen began to head for the road.

Vincent turned back as he walked away. "Tell Miss Noelle I said 'hi'!" he called.

"Thanks, I will!" Volodya called back.

***

"Noelle?"

The woman turned around in her desk chair to see Audrey standing at the door to her office.

"What's up?" Noelle asked as Audrey stepped into the room. "I thought you guys were going to go to the beach."

"We were, but Dad wanted to get a couple things from the store first, so I said I'd wait here while he went with Nick." She looked at the couch. "Can I sit here?"

"Of course," said Noelle. "If you want, you can lie down and pretend you're in an old fashioned psychiatrist's office. Volodya does that sometimes."

"Thanks," said Audrey, lifting an eyebrow. She plopped down on the couch, curling her legs up underneath her. "So you're together with Vol-," she stopped herself, trying to pronounce his name, "Volo--"

"Volodya, right," said Noelle. She looked away, lost in thought. She smiled. "Sorry, I've been kind of distracted lately."

"What do you do, exactly?" Audrey wondered aloud.

"I do some freelance software engineering," Noelle explained. "Coding, basically. Mostly front end."

Audrey nodded in vague understanding. "That's cool. My dad does graphic design." She pursed her lips in thought. "I totally could have gone with them. It's just, I feel so weird hanging out with my dad when Nick's around? Like he tries to be nice to me, but it's still so...awkward."

"I know what you mean," said Noelle. "I was the first marriage kid. My dad passed when I was little, and it was always weird when my mom started dating again, like how could anyone replace him. I guess it's different for you; my parents aren't gay. But it took a long time before I got along with my dad, well, my step-dad, but I call him 'Dad' now."

"No, that makes sense," said Audrey. "I mean like, I know my dad's gay, so it makes sense for him to have a boyfriend. It's just, like, he's just some guy, I don't really know if I trust him."

"It takes a long time to build up trust," Noelle agreed. "Nick's really nice, though. He's basically been looking after Volodya since his aunt died. He was the one person who accepted him when the rest of his family wasn't speaking to him. Actually, what brought me closer to my dad was when I came out, he was more accepting than my mom. He still is."

"When you came out to him?" Audrey repeated with a puzzled look. Her eyes grew wide. "You're bi, too?"

Noelle was silent for a moment. "Yes."

"Okay," said Audrey, looking relieved. "I don't know how to tell my dad. Like, he'd probably be supportive, but I'm worried he's going to, like, tell me I'm just a closeted lesbian. Like, you understand, right? Just because you're in a straight relationship doesn't mean you're any less bi."

Noelle looked to her thoughtfully and nodded.

"See, like I've never even dated a girl before," said Audrey, playing with the ends of her hair between her fingers. "Some people would say I can't be bi because of that. Have you? Dated a girl, I mean."

"I have, actually," Noelle said quietly.

"You have? Audrey's eyes lit up. "What was that like; did you have to hide it from your parents?"

"No," said Noelle. "Things were different back then."

"Hmm." Audrey leaned on the arm of the couch in thought. "How did you and Volodya meet?"

"It's a long story," said Noelle. "The short version is that I was friends with his ex."

"All my friends are dating each other," said Audrey, glancing to the windows, but unable to look out of them because the curtains were drawn. She turned back to Noelle. "Please don't tell my dad I'm bi," she pleaded.

Noelle just laughed. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

***

"Good to see you!"

Noelle gave her sister a hug as she answered the door. "Come on in."

"Something smells good," Maru remarked as she entered the house. She looked to Nick and David, who were chatting with Abigail, and she waved. "Hi, I'm Maru, Noelle's sister," she explained as she approached them.

"David, nice to meet you," said David, reaching out to shake her hand. He placed a hand on his partner's arm. "This is Nick."

"Nice to meet you." said the older man, also shaking her hand.

"Then, that's my daughter Audrey over there," David said, motioning with one hand to the couch where the teenager was curled up on one end, checking her phone. She looked up and gave a wave.

The doorbell rang again, and Noelle answered it, excited to greet Elliott as they entered. As they began to make introductions, Abigail slipped outside. She went around the side of the house to find Volodya cooking some burgers on the grill.

"Hey, what's up?" he said in a friendly manner. "I just saw Elliott and Maru pass by."

"Yeah, they just came in," she said, leaning on a table with a bowl of freshly grilled corn on the cob. Abigail lowered her voice. "Did I see a ring on Noelle's finger?"

Volodya didn't look up from what he was doing, just grinned.

Abigail gasped in excitement. "Really?! You did?"

"We were going to announce it later at dinner."

"Yes!" Abigail playfully hit his arm with the back of her hand. "I can't believe it, it's about time. How did you do it?"

"It's kind of a funny story," he said with a laugh. "She accidentally found the ring after I thought I lost it."

Abigail was beside herself with laughter. "That sounds just like you two."

"I know." Volodya transferred some cooked burgers to a paper towel on a plate. He sighed with a grin. "I don't deserve her, Abi."

"You fuckin' better," Abigail joked. "If I hadn't met my current girlfriend, I probably would have taken her off of your hands by now. You better tie her down while you can." She grinned.

"How is Sydney, anyway?" Volodya asked. "She still travelling?"

"Yeah, she'll be back in August." Abigail took a moment to reminisce about her partner. "I've got her doing some business deals for the store; I think we're going to make some regional expansions soon."

"Really? That's great," Volodya said with a laugh. "You ladies are literally about to take over the world."

"That's the plan!" Abigail said with a flourish. "Anyway, do you need help carrying stuff in?"

"Um, sure," said Volodya. He handed her the bowl of corn. "Here."

"No problem," she said, taking it from him.

Volodya turned down the grill. The sky was a sunset orange. He picked up the plate of burgers and turned to her. "Let's head inside."

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all. Thanks for waiting for the update. I had some time to write on Sunday, but I was feeling kind of depressed, and I wanted the story to end on a happier note so I had to wait until I was feeling better to write it. Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!


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